THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


■^''is  ^ook  is  ""E  on  last  date  st^-^ped  "^elow 


O 


SOUTHERN  BRANCH, 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

LIBRARY, 

tLOS  ANGELES.  CALIF. 


^  library 

Graduate  Sch'^ol  of  Business  Administration 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2007  witli  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.arcliive.org/details/advertisingselliOOmaliiiala 


ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 


Books  by  John  Lee  Mahin 

ADVERTISING  DATA 

ADVERTISING;  SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

LECTURES  ON  ADVERTISING 


ADVERTISING 


SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 


BY 

JOHN  LEE  MAHIN 


47930 


PtFBUSHED  BT 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

FOK 

THE  ASSOCIATED  ADVERTISING  CLUBS 

OF  THE  WORLD 

1921 


Copyright,  19H  and  1916,  by 

The  Associated  Advertising  Clubs  of  the  World 

All  rights  reserved,  including  that  oj 
translation  into  foreign  languages, 
including  the  Scandinavian 


rir 

5823 

iVI27a 


^  CONTENTS 

N  CHAPTER  I 

^Advertising   Can   Only  Appeal  to   Free 


^        Dollars 


Creation  of  style  is  salesmanship — No  one 
is   compelled    to   spend    a   free   dollar — 
^       The  free  dollar  builds  big  business — The 
^       consumer  enjoys  being  cultivated — ^Para- 
sites  live   on   mortgaged    dollars — ^Little 
businesses  die  on  mortgaged  dollars — Big 
aJ       business  thrives  on  free  dollars — The  auto- 
mobile industry  thrives  on  free  dollars — 
The  free  dollar  is  the  consumer's  greatest 
protection  and  the  advertiser's  real  oppor- 
tunity— Advertising  makes  possible  small 
J      capital  and  reduced  selling  cost — ^Advertis- 
^      ing  not  a  material  substance  but  service 
^      to  a  group. 

CHAPTER  n 

How   Markets   Benefit   Both    Consumer 

AND  Producer 12 

The  markets  based  on  the  group — ^Profes- 
sional services  enhanced  by  the  group — 


vi  CONTENTS— Confinwei 

PAGE 

Marketing  a  young  man's  time — ^The 
buyer  not  an  expert  judge  of  intrinsic 
values — Sentiment  is  the  basis  of  satis- 
faction— ^Disaster  follows  price  competition 
— The  salesman's  judgment  must  be  re- 
spected— ^Market  control  a  money-making 
occupation — Publicity  will  correct  all  evils 
of  market  control — Consumers  should  pre- 
fer goods  bearing  the  producer's  trade- 
mark— The  dangerous  position  of  some 
manufacturers. 

CHAPTER  m 

Salesmanship  Is  Service 24 

Men  succeed  as  they  are  able  to  induce 
others  to  accept  their  views — ^Advertising 
is  organized  salesmanship — The  most  suc- 
cessful salesman  is  he  who  gives  his  cus- 
tomer the  most  service — The  intelligent 
salesman  appreciates  that  his  responsibility 
does  not  end  with  the  sale — The  service 
that  merchants  give  more  attractive  than 
the  goods — Merchandise  plus  advice  and 
ideas  more  valuable  than  merchandise 
alone — ^Advertising  is  service  salesmanship 
directed  at  a  group — ^Advertising  should 
create  desires  that  benefit  the  consumer 
— Publishers  fast  realizing  their  respon- 
sibility to  readers — The  days  of  advertis- 


CONTENTS— Conhnwed  vii 

PAGE 

ing  "mystery"  and  fake  advertising  fast 
passing — Censorship  of  advertising  a  nec- 
essary service. 

CHAPTER  IV 

How  THE  Salesman  Becomes  a  Producer  33 

Personal  salesmanship  enhanced  by  advertis- 
ing— The  salesman  produces  satisfactions 
— The  essence  of  real  values — Satisfactory 
shoes  are  produced  by  salesman  as  well  as 
by  shoemakers — ^Identical  automobiles 
have  radically  different  reputations — How 
a  paper  salesman  made  his  goods  more 
valuable — ^A  dealer  in  ranges,  with  twenty- 
nine  years'  experience,  learns  something 
new — What  a  range  will  do,  and  not  what 
it  cost  to  produce,  determines  its  value. 

CHAPTER  V 

Advertising  Is  Selling  the  Group  .  .  41 
Salesmanship  converts  storekeepers  into 
merchants — Getting  the  confidence  of  a 
group  is  the  department  store  idea — The 
group  is  composed  of  those  who  think 
alike — Groups  as  viewed  by  philosophers 
— Groups  are  really  cooperative  organi- 
zations— Cities,  fast  trains,  publications, 
good    examples    of    the   group — Conven- 


vm  CONTENTS— Continued 

PACK 

iences,  luxuries,  and  education  made  avail- 
able for  all  because  of  groups — ^Member- 
ship in  any  group  largely  a  matter  of 
volition — ^The  tremendous  proportions  of 
certain  groups — ^In  reaching  groups  ad- 
vertising multiplies  salesmanship — Out- 
door, street-car,  and  publication  advertis- 
ing— ^an  appeal  to  a  group — Sensing  the 
keynote  of  group  harmony  brings  success 
to  the  salesman  and  writer  of  advertise- 
ments. 

CHAPTER  VI 

What  the  Manufacturer  Owes  the  Con- 
sumer        51 

Every  one  is  a  consumer  and  should  be  a 
producer — A  successful  newspaper  pub- 
lisher is  an  exemplary  manufacturer — ^A 
complete  plan  of  production  and  distri- 
bution essential — ^What  the  consumer 
thinks  is  a  merchandising  factor — Con- 
sumer groups  can  be  organized — The 
manufacturer  cannot  escape  merchandis- 
ing responsibility — Unproven  superiority 
of  no  value  to  either  manufacturer  or 
consumer — ^A  merchandising  audit  should 
be  made  by  every  manufacturer — Never 
trust  professional  work  to  untrained  men 
— ^How  to  decide  whether  or  not  an  article 
may  be  profitably  advertised. 


CONTENTS— Conhnwec?  k 

CHAPTER  Vn 

PACK 

WpAT  THE  Consumer  Owes  the  Manufac- 
turer        60 

Preference  of  a  group  creates  and  maintains 
every  big  business — How  the  newspaper 
has  increased  the  purchasing  power  of  the 
penny — Modern  merchandising  has  re- 
duced prices — ^When  a  manufacturer  gains 
by  reducing  prices — The  consumer  should 
not  be  too  sure  of  reduced  prices — Con- 
sumers should  appreciate  that  the  adver- 
tiser is  an  educator — ^Advertisers  usually 
reKable — Well-advertised  articles  usually 
the  most  valuable — The  merchants  who 
can  usurp  the  manufacturer's  functions 
are  few. 

CHAPTER  Vra 

The  Tools  op  Advertising 67 

Successful  illustrations  must  tell  the  story  in 
less  space  than  words — Ideas  that  appeal 
to  the  buying  group  must  usually  be  given 
to  the  artist — ^Mechanical  limitations 
must  never  be  overlooked — Using  words 
to  convey  ideas — Keep  the  words  simple — 
The  successful  use  of  type — Let  the  master 
compositor  work  out  details  of  layout — 
Building    an    advertisement    likened    to 


CONTENTS— Con<«nw«? 

building  a  house — How  type  is  used  in 
printing  a  newspaper — ^How  type  is  used 
in  printing  a  magazine — The  making  of 
engravings — Cheap  engravings  are  poor 
economy — Making  the  most  of  advertising 
space — Space  buying  a  job  for  a  man  of 
long  experience — How  to  get  good  print- 
ing— "Look  before  you  leap"  in  ordering 
printed  matter — The  postage-saving  ex- 
pert a  coming  profession — Paper  stock 
and  printing  inks — ^Judge  paper  stock  and 
inks  by  this  test — Does  it  emphasize  itself 
in  the  story — Greatest  of  all  advertising 
tools  are  brains  and  common  sense. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Advertising  Mediums 78 

Choosing  the  medium  of  greatest  prestige — 
A  case  in  point — Buying  space  requires 
careful  analysis — The  intrinsic  value  of 
mediums  and  aggressive  salesmanship — 
Service  by  the  representative  of  a  me- 
dium is  an  important  factor — One  large 
group  vs.  several  small  groups — The  dif- 
ferent mediums  used  in  advertising — 
Groups  of  advertisers  who  find  news- 
papers the  best  medium — The  daily  news- 


CONTENTS— Con/mwed  xi 

paper  ideal  for  advertising  the  local  store 
— The  newspaper  best  medium  for  satisfy- 
ing immediate  needs — Fiction  magazines 
as  advertising  mediums — The  national 
weekly  as  a  combination  newspaper  and 
magazine  medium — Technical,  trade,  and 
class  publications — Farm  papers,  the  trade 
publication  of  a  great  class — How  to  judge 
a  class  pubhcation. 

CHAPTER  X 

Advertising  Mediums  (Continued)  ...  87 
Street-car  advertising  analyzed — The  use, 
checking,  and  cost  of  street-car  adver- 
tising— The  fore-runners  of  modem  post- 
ing— ^The  evolution  of  the  twenty-four 
sheet  poster — Billposting  service  as  stand- 
ardized in  United  States — Painted  bulle- 
tins— Bulletins  and  walls  compared — The 
comparative  cost  of  "paper"  and  "paint" 
— ^Electric  signs — ^Window  displays — Store 
demonstrations  —  Sampling  —  House-to- 
house  canvassing — ^Form  letters,  mailing 
cards,  folders — Cards  and  other  printed 
mattier  used  to  assist  salesmen — Calendars 
and  novelties — Selling  ideas  used  by  nov- 
elty salesmen — ^Adding  value  to  novelties 
— Moving-picture  slides. 


xii  CONTENTS— Con^inwed 


CHAPTER  XI 


PAGX 


Building  and  Testing  an  Advertisement  99 

What  the  copy  writer  should  know — The 
copy  writer  an  interpreter  between  ad- 
vertiser and  buying  group — Writing  and 
illustrating  advertisements  v/ith  a  strong 
group  appeal — a  natural  gift — Diagram- 
ming the  advertisement  —  Brevity  not 
necessarily  good  —  Advertisements  must 
attract  and  create  desire  to  buy. 


CHAPTER  Xn 

Application  of  the  Five  Tests  ....  113 
Institutionalism  as  embodied  in  newspaper 
advertisements — Cities  have  institutional 
characteristics — The  distinctive  Chicago 
character — A  big  store  is  a  big  group — 
Every  detail  carefully  studied — Sentiment 
is  always  the  basis  of  action — A  store 
without  a  sign — The  five  tests  applied  to 
magazine  advertising — The  secret  of  suc- 
cess in  Eastman  Kodak  advertising — 
Keeping  the  demand  active  for  Old 
Dutch  Cleanser — Advertising  to  enhance 
confidence — Focussing  demand  on  Swift's 
Premium  Ham — The  subtle  handling  of 
Hydraulic  Press  Brick  advertising — ^Ap- 


CONTENTS— Continued  xiii 

PAGE 

peal  to  the  sentiment  by  the  National 
Lead  Company — Quaker  Oats  advertising 
is  well  rounded — The  mail-order  idea  in 
general  pubhcity  advertising — Comments 
on  mail-order  advertisements — The  five 
tests  can  be  applied  to  any  kind  of  adver- 
tising. 

CHAPTER  Xm 

Advertising  and  Selling  Through  the  Or- 
dinary Channels  of  Trade  ....  130 
The  retailer — the  biggest  link  in  the  mer- 
chandising chain — The  functions  of  a 
wholesaler — The  wholesaler  as  an  aid  to 
the  retailer — The  exclusive  jobber  plan — 
The  advertiser  must  create  his  market, 
the  jobber  is  a  distributor — Selling  the 
retailer  direct — Reasons  for  selling  direct 
— ^The  third  middleman:  agent,  broker, 
importer,  or  exporter — Broker  and  agent 
practically  the  same — The  broker  sells  the 
wholesaler — Selling  the  consumer  direct — 
Introducing  goods  to  consumers  by  solici- 
tors— The  manufacturer  who  operates  re- 
tail stores — The  mail-order  house — The 
middleman  essential  in  almost  all  sell- 
ing systems — The  middleman's  functions 
should  be  clearly  defined — The  consumer 


3dv  CONTENTS— Con/mMcd 

is  the  final  test — ^Advertising  confers  a 
double  benefit. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

How  THE  Middleman  Serves  the  Consumer  144 
The  middleman  is  not  a  consumer — The 
jobber  and  advertised  goods — When  priv- 
ate jobbers*  brands  are  justified — ^Each 
distributing  factor  should  educate  the 
consumer — Better  understanding  will  ehm- 
inate  waste — Retailer  and  consumer  have 
identical  interests — Advertising  should 
never  coerce — ^Advertising  should  be  mer- 
chandised. 


CHAPTER  XV 

Retail  Advertising — Preparation  .  .  .  151 
A  stable  labor  market  necessary  to  successful 
retaihng — The  location  within  the  locality 
— Buy  from  competent  salesmen  represent- 
ing reliable  houses — Comparative  value  of 
advertised  and  unadvertised  products — 
Exclusive  agencies  should  be  carefully 
considered — ^National  prestige  aids  local 
standing — Well-advertised  lines  cost  less  to 
handle. 


CONTENTS— Conhnweti  xv 


CHAPTER  XVI 


PACE 


Retail  Advertising — Methods  and  Mediums  158 
Groups  make  retailing  possible — Show  win- 
dows are  silent  salesmen — The  local  news- 
paper is  the  retailer's  best  medium — Treat 
your  advertising  appropriation  as  a  trust 
fund — Plan  your  work  and  work  your 
plan — How  suburban  dealers  can  cash  in 
on  local  newspaper  advertising — Dealers 
should  and  can  discriminate — The  plan 
more  important  than  the  medium. 

CHAPTER  XVII 

Retail  Advertising — Making  Good  .  .  168 
Retail  dealers  are  expected  to  be  square — 
Maintaining  confidence  increases  the  deal- 
er's assets — ^Inviting  the  return  of  mer- 
chandise increased  profits — "  Taking  Back" 
goods  the  dealer  did  not  sell — The  power 
of  service — Price  cutting  benefits  nobody 
— A  square  deal  for  every  one  is  the 
dealer's  best  asset — The  difference  be- 
tween intrinsic,  real,  and  commercial  value 
— ^Will  service  become  too  costly? — The 
desire  for  luxury  stimulates  industry — 
Service  competition  invites  cooperation 
— ^Advertising  will  bring  needed  reforms — 
Stable  conditions  insure  prosperity. 


jcvi  CONTENTS— Continued 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

VAGE 

Price  Maintenance 180 

The  field  of  tremendous  accomplishment — 
The  Supreme  Court  and  the  fixed  price — 
Two  ways  of  maintaining  price — both  ef- 
fective— Selecting  the  salesman  able  to 
stop  price-cutting — Cut  price  to  one  may- 
destroy  confidence  of  many — Plus  service 
vs.  cut  prices — Persuasion  vs.  coercion — 
Confidence  vs.  price-cutting — Advertising 
the  strongest  ally  of  price  maintenance. 

CHAPTER  XIX 

Co<5peration  Between  Salesmen  and  Ad- 
vertising— Salesman,  the  Closer — ^Ad- 
vertising, THE  Missionary  ....  190 
Creating  the  buying  impulse — Team  work — 
Increased  income  for  the  salesman — 
Service  to  the  consumer — The  stabihty 
test  of  both  advertising  and  salesmanship 
— The  salesman  with  a  medieval  mind — 
Reducing  the  selling  cost — Utilizing  the 
modern  machinery  of  selling — ^Advertising 
and  selling  cost  no  more  than  salesmanship 
alone — The  salesman  works  on  a  bigger 
scale — ^Advertising  as  insurance  against 
the  future — Let  the  wholesale  salesman 
cooperate  with  the  advertising  of  branded 


CONTENTS— Con/inM«f  xvii 

PAGE 

staples  to  set  higher  standards  for  the 
retailer — It  is  the  salesman's  job  to  edu- 
cate his  trade  to  cooperate — Responsi- 
bility— Cooperation — ^You  are  bound  to 
get  more  than  you  give  no  matter  how 
much  you  give. 

CHAPTER  XX 

Advertising  Opportunities 199 

Three  distinct  types  of  men  needed — 
Thought  must  be  expressed  to  be  valuable 
— The  pubUsher — The  advertising  solicitor 
— The  advertising  writer — The  buyer  of 
advertising  space — Printers,  plate  makers, 
and  typesetters — Big  advertising  opp>or- 
tunity  with  the  publishers — Advertising 
courses  in  universities. 

CHAPTER  XXI 

The  Advertising  Manager 207 

The  advertising  manager  should  direct  sales 
— The  advertising  manager  can  create  new 
policies — The  four  epochs  in  a  business 
career — Second  epoch,  working  without 
supervision — Delegating  to  subordinates 
is  epoch  number  three — Conrmanding  co- 
operation of  big  men  is  fourth  epoch — 
Good  judgment  more  important  than 
handhng  details — The  business  should  be 
an  open  book  to  the  advertising  manager — 


xviii  CONTENTS— CowimM^i. 

PACK 

The  strong  advertising  manager  must  be 
mature  in  development — ^Knowing  where 
to  get  the  best  the  secret  of  success — ^Ad- 
vice to  advertising  manager  in  a  concern 
new  to  advertising — Getting  saturated 
with  information  essential — Get  a  good 
printer — The  advertising  manager  must 
command  good-will  in  his  organization — 
How  to  get  all  that  callers  can  give. 

CHAPTER  XXH 

The  Advertising  Solicitor 219 

A  first  attempt  at  soliciting — Advertising  can 
harm  as  well  as  help — ^A  solicitor  should 
know  what  he  is  selling — Writing  the  ad- 
vertisement once  the  dealer's  prerogative — 
A  solicitor  must  give  service — The  new 
order  of  soliciting — Turning  down  business 
a  royal  road  to  future  business — Soliciting 
is  a  serious  job — A  solicitor  should  be 
sociably  serious,  never  clownish — ^The  so- 
licitor must  know,  bluflBng  doesn't  go — 
Criticism  of  your  house  is  fatal  to  your  suc- 
cess— The  hunt  for  good  men — The  so- 
licitor's fate  lies  largely  in  his  own  hands. 

CHAPTER  XXm 

Mail-order  Advertising 230 

Plenty  of  room  for  both  mail-order  and  dealer 
business — Mail-order  business  natural  and 


CONTENTS— Continued  xix 

PAGE 

legitimate — The  live,  wide-awake  merchant 
has  no  fear  of  mail-order  competition — The 
field  that  mail-order  advertisers  serve  bet- 
ter than  any  one  else — Many  nationally  ad- 
vertised lines  started  in  a  mail-order  way — 
Follow-up  systems  necessary  in  every  mail- 
order business — Choosing  the  mediums  for 
mail-order  advertising — Sales-producing 
matter  of  high  quality  used  by  mail-order 
houses — Creating  confidence,  the  constant 
aim  of  the  mail-order  house — Mail-order 
copy  must  more  than  offset  the  prestige, 
displays,  and  personal  salesmanship  of  the 
store — ^Every  word  must  be  carefully 
weighed  in  writing  a  mail-order  advertise- 
ment— ^The  change  of  one  word  made  a 
wonderful  advertisement  out  of  a  mediocre 
one — Good  mail-order  copy  should  be  re- 
peated— Getting  the  names  of  possible 
buyers — Mail-order  advertising  to  focus 
the  attention  on  the  catalogue — Writing 
mail-order  copy  a  true  training. 

CHAPTER  XXIV 

National  Advertising  and  Exclusive  Deal- 
ers        241 

An  arrangement  between  manufacturer  and 
retailer  for  the  benefit  of  both — The  man- 
ufacturers must  contribute  all  possible  sell- 


XX  CONTENTS— Continued 

PACT! 

ing  help,  the  retailers  actively  push  the 
sale — Manufacturers  that  fail  to  give 
proper  selling  assistance  to  retailers — Local 
advertising  by  dealers  to  connect  up  with 
national  advertising — Drawing  inquiries 
through  national  advertising  to  refer  to 
local  dealers — Selling  to  one  dealer  appeals 
particularly  to  manufacturers  of  high- 
grade  merchandise — ^How  the  magazines 
are  protecting  the  dealer  by  censoring  the 
advertising  of  the  manufacturer — The 
advertising  manufacturer  gets  the  prefer- 
ence with  live  dealers — ^Failure  to  handle 
advertised  goods  a  reflection  on  the  dealer 
— ^Advertising  in  restricted  territories — 
Advertising  service  furnished  dealers  in- 
cludes a  variety  of  different  kinds. 

CHAPTER  XXV 

Trademarks         249 

What  is  our  amateur  judgment  worth? —  Co- 
operation between  manufacturer  and 
dealer  a  benefit  to  consumer — Greater 
profit  to  producer,  lower  cost  to  consumer 
— The  trademark  means  stability — ^Do  not 
hide  your  trademark  under  a  bushel — 
Backing  up  the  trademark  with  advertising 
— ^The  stronger  the  competition  the  greater 


CONTENTS— Contimied  xxi 

PAGE 

the  benefit  to  the  trademarked  product — 
The  legal  aspect. 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

Prestige-building  Advertising  ....  257 
The  salesman's  part  in  establishing  prestige — 
Prestige,  the  impression  of  quahty  without 
question — Constant  reiteration  gains  pres- 
tige— Prestige  depends  as  much  on  the 
manner  as  on  the  matter  of  your  story — 
The  price  of  silence — ^A  pointed  instance — 
Old  masters  made  new  by  the  master  hand 
of  publicity — The  prestige-building  story 
and  the  telling  of  it — Publicity  without 
prestige — Masters  of  prestige  building — 
The  penalty,  "Make  Good" — ^Advertising 
makes  the  goods  live  up  to  the  prestige 
gained — Where  a  rise  in  price  built  prestige 
— ^Advertising  brings  the  deciding  vote — 
Building  prestige  on  prestige — ^Prestige  is 
substantial,  not  built  upon  snobbishness — 
The  price  of  confidence — ^A  house  of  cards 
— As  Omar  says:  "A  hair  perhaps  divides 
the  false  and  true." 

CHAPTER  XXVn 

Can  the  Commercial  Value  of  Good-will  Be 

Accurately  Appraised? 268 

Constant  appraisal  necessary  to  value  good- 


xxii  CONTENTS— Continued 

PACS 

will  properly — The  new  factory  did  not 
possess  the  good-will  of  the  old  lumber 
yard — Customers  do  not  care  where  things 
are  made — Good-will  is  attached  to  that 
which  identifies  the  service — Two  clearly 
defined  objects  for  all  advertisers — A  mer- 
chandising audit  will  reveal  marketing  pos- 
sibilities— The  engineer  or  accountant  pref- 
erable to  salesman  or  copy  writer  for  mak- 
ing merchandising  audits — How  a  merchan- 
dising audit  should  be  made — ^Representa- 
tive groups  of  people  must  be  canvassed — 
Chart  your  competitors'  advertising  but 
don't  advertise  them  —  The  wonderful 
effect  of  minor  points  in  advertising — ^Ac- 
counting that  provides  a  ready  basis  for  ad- 
vertising deductions — ^Proper  distribution 
of  overhead  expense — Checking  up  results 
should  be  made  easy — The  executive  should 
be  able  to  know  anything  he  wants  to 
know  at  a  moment's  notice — Successful  ad- 
vertising defined. 

CHAPTER  XXVni 

The  Advertising  Agency 282 

The  early  days  of  the  agency — ^The  era  of 
split  commissions  and  agents'  net  rates — 
The  lowest  bidder  secured  the  business — Of 


CONTENTS— Confini^ed  xxiii 

present-day  agencies  there  are  four  types — 
The  agency  that  sells  copy — The  agency 
which  places  business  at  pubhshers'  rates — 
Agents  of  types  two  and  three  cannot  fully 
represent  the  advertiser — The  evils  of  the 
agency  system  which  does  not  represent  the 
advertiser — The  highest  type  of  agency 
sells  service  to  its  customers — The  best 
system  of  compensation — The  four  definite 
functions  of  the  advertising  agency  of  the 
fourth  type — The  advertising  agent  a 
trustee  of  the  customers'  money — The 
agency  of  the  highest  type  will  advise 
against  advertising  if  advertiser  is  not 
ready  for  it. 

CHAPTER  XXIX 

How  Much  More  Can  Be  Given  the  Con- 
sumer?       293 

Advertising  makes  the  dollar  larger — The 
Iowa  hen  is  a  paradox — Our  wasteful  dis- 
tributive system — Through  advertising  the 
consumer  gets  luxuries  at  the  price  of 
iiecessities — Scientific  merchandisin'g  bene- 
fits greatly  both  producer  and  consumer — 
When  big  business  men  compete  intelli- 
gently in  advertising  the  consumer  will  be 
best  served — Misapplied  energy  is  the 
greatest  economic  waste. 


INTRODUCTION 

In  the  spring  of  1910,  Dr.  Willard  R.  Hotchkiss 
asked  me  to  take  an  evening  class  in  Advertising 
at  the  School  of  Commerce,  which  the  Northwestern 
University  had  just  established  in  Chicago. 

Grouping  the  subject  matter  under  ten  heads,  I 
devoted  one  evening  to  the  discussion  of  each 
and  the  class  was  encouraged  to  ask  questions 
freely. 

The  chapters  which  follow  were  based  upon  notes 
made  at  these  classroom  talks  and  from  lectures 
delivered  before  the  Universities  of  Chicago,  Wis- 
consin, Michigan,  IIHnois,  Minnesota,  and  Wash- 
ington. 

The  second  edition  of  "Advertising — Selling  the 
Consumer"  is  practically  identical  in  purpose  and 
scope  with  the  first.  Some  of  the  chapters  in  the 
first  edition  have  been  replaced  by  editorials  on 
merchandising  which  I  wrote  for  James  Keely, 
editor  of  the  Chicago  Herald.  As  he  published 
them  in  January,  1916,  under  his  own  copyright,  his 
permission  to  use  them  here  is  duly  acknowledged. 

It  is  gratifying  to  note  the  growing  demand  for 
this  kind  of  a  book  which  is  an  attempt  to  intro- 
duce to  earnest,  thoughtful  men  a  work  which  is 


xrvi  INTRODUCTION 

constructive  and  fascinating  and  is  rapidly  becom- 
ing a  profession  worthy  of  the  best  minds. 

To  give  due  acknowledgment  to  all  who  have 
helped  me  in  this  work  would  require  a  volume 
larger  than  the  book  itself.  Nearly  thirty  years  of 
business  experience  and  close  contact  with  successful 
men  in  every  part  of  the  United  States  have  developed 
the  ideas  which  justify  presentation  and  preserva- 
tion in  this  form. 

John  Lee  Mahin. 

New  York  City, 
April  15,  1916. 


ADVERTISING— SELLING   THE   CONSUMER 


CHAPTER  I 

ADVERTISING  CAN  APPEAL  ONLY  TO  FREE  DOLLARS 

THE  dollar  that  buys  the  absolute  essentials — 
food,  clothing,  and  shelter — ^is  a  mortgaged 
dollar.  It  must  be  spent,  because  the  posses- 
sion of  these  things  is  absolutely  necessary  to  exist- 
ence. 

But  even  these  necessities  must  be  merchandised 
to  free  dollars  if  design,  style,  location,  or  the  form 
and  manner  of  deKvery  are  determining  factors  in 
making  specific  purchases  of  them. 

Clothing  is  commonly  regarded  as  a  need.  Yet  a 
considerable  percentage  of  the  clothing  business  is 
created  by  a  merchandising  instinct  which  develops 
the  want  which  it  wishes  to  supply. 

Nothing  is  more  artificial  than  that  something 
which  we  call  style.  Style  entirely  upsets  the 
economist's  theory  that  wealth  is  the  product 
of  raw  material  and  labor.  A  smart  hat  to-day 
contains  the  same  amount  of  raw  material  and 
labor  that  it  did  two  years  ago,  or  will  two  years 
hence.  But  it  was  commercially  impossible  two 
years  ago,  and  will  be  impossible  two  years  from 
now. 


4    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Why?  The  value  of  the  hat  depends  entirely 
upon  whether  or  not  it  is  "in  style."  It  is  "in  style" 
if  a  large  enough  number  of  women  can 
of  Style  la  b^  induced  to  think  it  is.  Changes  in 
Sal^man-  style  are  controlled  by  the  merchandising 
ability  of  men  and  women  who  profit  finan- 
cially by  these  frequent  changes.  Styles  are  created 
by  those  in  position  to  benefit  by  their  acceptance. 
The  ability  to  create  style  and  get  it  accepted  is 
a  subtle  form  of  salesmanship  worthy  of  careful  study. 

The  freest  dollars  in  the  world  are  those  con- 
stantly being  paid  to  the  individual  worker.  They 
No  One  Is  ^^^  ^he  dollars  that  are  spent  only  when  the 
CompeiM  workers  choose.     They  are  not  needed  to 

a  Free    provide  f  ood,  shelter,  or  raiment.     They  may 

^^°^^  be  deposited  in  the  bank  or  used  to  gratify 
whims.  Most  of  the  "necessities"  for  which  they 
are  spent  are  fancied  rather  than  actual. 

When  we  say  "big  business"  we  think  of  oil, 
tobacco,  beer,  moving  pictures,  newspapers,  auto- 
mobiles. But  who  can  say  that  any  of  these  kinds 
of  business  have  been  built  up  by  dollars  which  the 
consumer  had  to  spend? 

It  may  seem  paradoxical,  but  it  is  certain  that 

the  most  strongly  entrenched  businesses  are  those 

The  Free  which  givc    the    Consumer's    dollars    back 

Dollar    iq  iiini  if   lie   is   not   thoroughly   satisfied 

Builds         .  ,    ,  .  , 

Big      With  nis  purchase. 
Business       j£    ^j^^    merchandising    of    the    savings 
habit  were  directed  as  intelligently  and  prosecuted 


ADVERTISING  APPEALS  TO  FREE  DOLLARS    5 

as  vigorously  as  is  the  merchandising  of  chewing 
gum,  554  out  of  every  1,000  (the  percentage  for 
Switzerland)  citizens  of  the  United  States  would 
have  savings  accounts,  instead  of  our  present  poor 
showing,  which  is  only  99  out  of  every  1,000. 

The  choice  of  the  possessor  of  the  "free  dollar" 
is  the  determining  factor. 

In  disposing  of  the  mortgaged  dollar  the  consumer 
merely  hands  over  to  the  producer  and  distributor 
money  for  the  necessaries  of  life — shaving 
turner  En-  HO  great  amount  of  satisfaction  in  their 
^Culi^^  possession — because  he  has  to  have  them. 
But  the  producer  or  distributor  who  wants 
to  get  the  attention  of  and  sell  to  the  free  dollar  has 
to  make  the  consumer  positively  and  actively  want 
what  he  has  to  sell. 

The  consumer  has  to  be  "sold"  the  things  he 
spends  his  free  dollars  for.  The  capture  of  the  free 
dollar  calls  for  more  in  the  way  of  inventive  genius, 
organizing  ability  and  persistently  skillful  catering 
to  the  whims,  fancies,  and  sentiments  of  human 
beings  than  anything  else  in  the  world. 

I  cannot  see  how  we  can  escape  two  conclusions: 
(1),  that  the  American  people  do  not  need  to  put 
a  curb  on  any  big  business  which  appeals  directly 
to  free  dollars;  and  (2),  that  any  attempt  to  build  a 
business  on  the  mortgaged  dollar  alone  has  within 
itself  elements  which  will  finally  destroy  it. 

For  some  time  Chicagoans  have  been  watching 
Che  career  of  a  politician  who  could  go  back  to  his 


6      ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

constituents  every  two  years,  appealing  to  a  free 
ballot,  and  secure  power,  prestige,  and  preeminence 
— because  lie  was  willing  to  stand  that  test  con- 
tinually. This  same  man  made  a  dismal  failure  of 
banking,  because  he  tried  to  apply  to  it  an  entirely 
different  set  of  principles.  The  best  bank  depends 
upon  no  political  pull  for  its  deposits  and  considers 
only  genuine  merit  in  making  loans. 

There  is  business  that  can  become  a  parasite, 

clinging    to    large,    successful    enterprises,    because 

somebody  thinks  that  a  mortgaged  dollar 

Parasites       .  i       t_i  i  •        i  i  r 

Live  on  IS  as  Valuable  and  as  serviceable  as  a  free 
^DU^^  one.  Many  firms  do  all  their  own  print- 
ing, because  they  are  erroneously  supposed 
to  save  money  in  that  way.  An  unbiased  audit 
and  a  correct  division  of  overhead  expenses  generally 
show  that  these  excrescences  are  unprofitable. 

The  practice  of  business  reciprocity,  i.  e.,  trading 
back  and  forth,  has  such  a  hold  on  some  communities 
that  practically  all  the  consumer's  dollars  are  mort- 
gaged. 

The  retailer  who  beheves  that  his  store  ought  to 
be  "supported"  because  he  pays  taxes  and  spends 
his  money  at  home  is  in  a  wrong  mental  attitude  for 
successfully  combating  mail-order  competition,  or 
even  for  estabHshing  his  own  business  upon  a  service- 
to-the-consumer  basis.  Cities  which  give  free  sites 
or  bonuses  to  manufacturing  institutions  are  doing 
an  injury  to  the  consumer,  who  must  finally  pay  the 
cost  of  all  economic  waste.    A  business  which  can- 


ADVERTISING  APPEALS  TO  FREE  DOLLARS    7 

not  exist  without  such  an  artificial  stimulus  is  not 
profitable  to  any  community. 

The  publisher  who  asks  for  "patronage"  instead 

of  merchandising  his  service  on  its  nlerits  and  re- 

Little      fusing  any  income  which  is  not  made  up 

Businesses  of  fj-gg  doUars,  is  Well  started  on  his  own 

Die  on 

Mortgaged  toboggan.  Ihe  merchant  who  encourages 
Dollars  ^oixg  credits,  beheving  that  he  can  thus 
force  his  customers  to  buy  things  they  would  not 
buy  otherwise,  is  making  them  less  valuable  to  them- 
selves and  is,  therefore,  curtailing  the  ultimate  ex- 
pansion of  his  business. 

Twenty-three  years  ago  it  was  supposed  that  the 
wholesale  clothing  business  had  to  give  credits  of 
.    from    four    to    nine    months.     The    best 
ness  Thrives  kuowu  clothing  house  in  the  world  (located 
^Mars     ^^  Chicago)   started  out  by  giving  cash 
discounts  of  7  per  cent.     This  firm  soon 
secm-ed  the  best  dealers,  those  who  discounted  their 
bills,  and  has  built  up  a  tremendous  volume  of  busi- 
ness, having  practically  no  accounts  to  carry  now. 

As  soon  as  the  executives  of  this  firm  were  sure 
that  advertising  was  the  most  economical  form  of 
salesmanship  they  began  to  advertise.  Within 
fifteen  years  advertising  multiplied  their  volume  by 
ten.  Their  seUing  expense  is  lower  than  that  of 
their  competitors,  because  their  salesmen  (the  best 
paid  in  the  trade)  put  all  their  time  on  selling  and 
let  the  advertising  do  the  missionary  and  follow-up 
work. 


8    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Business  has  been  bad  in  the  farm  implement 

Hne  where  long  credits  to  the  farmer  and  to  the 

The  Auto-    dealer  have  been  carried  by  the  manufac- 

mobile  In-  ,  ^p  . 

dustry  turer.  Yet  one  man  m  every  ntteen  m 
Free^     lowa  owns  an  automobile — and  from  the 

Dollars  beginning  the  manufacturer  of  automobiles 
has  insisted  on  having  cash  before  surrendering  title 
to  his  car. 

When  the  consumers'  dollars  are  free  and  he  and 
she  have  in  the  bank  money  with  which  to  make 
purchases,  the  reflex  is  best  not  only  on  the  con- 
sumer's mind  but  also  on  the  service  furnished  by 
the  retailer  and  manufacturer. 

The  manufacturer  who  advertises  can  appeal 
only  to  the  free  dollar.  The  consumer  who  will 
take  any  butter  that  the  dealer  chooses  to  send 
her,  when  she  orders  butter,  is  buying  with  a  mort- 
gaged dollar;  but  if  she  asks  for  and  insists  upon 
having  a  particular  brand  of  butter,  wrapped  in  a 
dainty,  sanitary  carton,  an  advertised  make  whose 
quality  she  knows  and  can  depend  upon,  she  is 
spending  a  free  dollar.  In  the  first  case  she  is 
merely  supplying  herself  with  a  necessity;  in  the 
second  instance  she  is  making  a  choice;  her  purchase 
is  the  result  of  a  want  created  in  her  mind  by  the 
advertising  effort  of  the  maker  of  that  particular 
brand  of  butter.  She  can  at  all  times  decide  whether 
or  not  she  will  buy,  in  response  to  the  adver- 
tiser's suggestion.  The  man  who  advertises  knows 
this. 


ADVERTISING  APPEALS  TO  FREE  DOLLARS    9 

Big  business  is  possible  only  so  long  as  it  appeals 

to  the  free  dollar.     Big  business  has  been  criticised. 

The  Free     Sometimes  the  muckrakers  and  agitators 

Is  the'^Con-  ^^^^  right — Sometimes  the  dominant  spirits 

sumer's     of  big  busiucss  havc  forgotten  that  the 

Protection    basis  of  all  big  business  is  continuous  ap- 

and  the  Ad-  pg^j  ^q  fpgg  dollars,  and  never  the  arbi- 

vcrtisers       ^ 

RealOppor-  trary,  autocratic  use  of  the  power  which 
""  ^  the  free  dollar  has  placed  in  their  hands. 
The  consumer  is  best  served  by  the  man  who  will 
study  his  needs,  the  man  who  will  expect  to  attain 
and  hold  supremacy  and  preeminence  only  by  appeal- 
ing always  to  the  consumer's  free  dollars,  by  the  man 
who  will  use  in  the  upbuilding,  development,  and 
maintenance  of  his  position  all  that  modern  mer- 
chandising has  proved  to  be  efficient. 

Advertising  gives  a  manufacturer  power  to  pro- 
duce trade  for  the  thing  he  is  best  equipped  to 
make.  It  eliminates  competition.  It  creates,  forces, 
persuades,  builds.  It  makes  things  happen.  It  is  so 
many-sided  that  it  deserves  the  attention  of  each  de- 
, ,     .  .     partment  of  every  business  organization. 

Advertising  \  .  .  i  i      •  -n     i    i      • 

Makes     Advcrtismg  produces  desu-e;  gratmed  desire 

^SmM      produces  habit ;  and  habit  produces  business. 

Capital        It  does    morc.     It  makes    sales.     The 

duced      brainy  salesman  gets  a  larger  field  for  use- 

^^^y     fulness  and  more  pay  when  he  cooperates 

with  advertising,  and  while  making  more 

money  for  himself  reduces  the  cost  of  selling  which 

includes  both  personal  salesmanship  and  advertising. 


10    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  man  who  advertises  gets  along  on  less  capi- 
tal and  saves  on  interest  charges.  That  is  because 
a  business  which  advertises  is  produced  more  by  creat- 
ing business  conditions  than  by  adapting  its  affairs 
entirely  to  them. 

Advertising  is  not  material  substance.  It  is  ser- 
vice. The  true  advertiser  and  the  advertising  man 
never  forget  that  space  is  less  important 

Advertising    .t  •  tj  j.        t<T- 

Not  a      than  service,     ideas  are  paramount.     Ihe 
Matenal     purpose  of  an  advertisement  should  be  clear 

Substance  ,     ,    -,    .  -r  ,        ,  .  .     , 

butSer-  and  definite.  It  must  be  kept  m  mmd 
"g^oup  constantly  during  the  planning  and  execu- 
tion of  the  details  by  which  it  is  to  be 
affected.  Space,  type,  words,  and  pictures  are  merely 
tools  which  the  master  workman  uses  in  expressing 
an  idea.  The  finished  work  of  an  advertiser  is  not 
a  material  substance  which  can  be  seen  with  eyes  and 
touched  with  hands,  but  a  definite,  positive  impres- 
sion in  the  minds  of  possible  buyers  which  is  reflected 
in  the  voluntary  purchase  of  the  goods  which  the  ad- 
vertiser wishes  to  sell. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER   I 

"Advertising  as  a  Business  Force,"  1913  (Double- 
day,  Page  &  Company,  Garden  City,  N.  Y.),  and 
"The  Advertising  Book,"  1915,  are  up-to-the-minute 
reviews  and  compilations  by  Paul  Terry  Cherington, 
instructor  in  commercial  organization  in  the  Gradu- 
ate School  of  Business  Administration,  Harvard 
University.     They   deserve   careful   study   because 


ADVERTISING  APPEALS  TO  FREE  DOLLARS   11 

they  show  how  present-day  advertising  impresses  a 
thoughtful  onlooker. 

"The  Science  of  Advertising,"  1910  (Duffield  & 
Company,  New  York),  by  Edwin  Balmer,  with  the 
counsel  of  Thomas  Balmer,  is  a  book  of  illuminating 
analysis  based  on  concrete  experiences  and  estab- 
lished principles.  It  is  both  informative  and  thought 
stimulating. 

"The  Library  of  Advertising,"  seven  volumes, 
1911  (Cree  PubUshing  Company,  Chicago),  compiled 
by  A.  P.  Johnson,  presents  the  views  of  sixty-four 
men  who  have  made  good  in  the  various  phases  of 
advertising.  As  a  whole,  the  books  contain  much 
valuable  information,  and  will  give  the  student  food 
for  thought  for  some  time  if  he  attempts  to  reconcile 
conflicting  opinions. 

"Modern  Advertising,"  1905  (D.  Appleton  &  Com- 
pany, New  York),  by  Calkins  and  Holden,  contains 
much  illuminating  historical  matter,  and  was  up  to 
date  in  every  particular  when  it  was  printed.  The 
advance  in  the  advertising  business  within  ten 
years  can  be  measured  by  reading  it  carefully,  and 
comparing  it  with  "The  Advertising  Business"  by 
Earnest  Elmo  Calkins  (D.  Appleton  &  Company,1915). 

A  well-equipped  advertising  library  would  contain 
all  the  issues  of  Printers'  Ink  (weekly).  Advertising 
and  Selling  (monthly),  the  Mail  Order  Journal 
(monthly),  and  Standard  Advertising  (monthly). 
These  pubHcations  must  be  read  regularly,  if  one  is 
to  keep  up  to  date.     They  cover  the  field  admirably. 


CHAPTER  II 

HOW    MAEKETS    BENEFIT    BOTH    CONSUMER    AND 
PRODUCER 

A  GRAPHIC  demonstration  of  the  value  of 
markets  is  given  any  man  who  hunts  big 
game  in  the  Canadian  wilds.  His  day's 
labor,  to  use  the  economist's  phraseology,  goes  into 
the  transportation  of  himself  and  his  supplies. 

Possibly  only  a  few  miles  are  covered  each  day. 

There  are  no  mills  or  factories  at  which  he  could 

market  his  labor  for  money  with  which 

kets  Based   to  buy  transportation,  at  two  cents  a  mile 

on  the      (jjj  steam  railroads,  or  five  cents  for  as 

Group 

many  as  eight  miles  on  street  cars.  Rail- 
roads and  street  cars  are  markets  where  transporta- 
tion is  offered  for  sale.  Neither  are  there  stores 
close  at  hand,  to  supply  him  with  clothing,  nor 
hotels — which  market  shelter  and  food.  He  carries 
his  physical  strength  and  his  brain  with  him  into 
the  woods,  but  he  can  scarcely  command  sustenance 
with  them.  The  nearer  the  laborer  lives  to  highly 
developed  markets,  the  greater  the  variety  and  abun- 
dance of  comforts  and  luxuries  his  output  will  com- 
mand. 

12 


BENEFIT  CONSUMER  AND  PRODUCER     13 

It  is  no  uncommon  experien<3e  for  a  man  to  find 
food-products  selling,  in  the  section  where  they  are 
produced,  for  the  same  price  they  bring  on  South 
Water  Street,  Chicago.  This  is  because  South 
Water  Street  is  a  highly  developed  and  specialized 
market.  Fruits  and  vegetables  flow  to  it  as  naturally 
as  the  magnetic  needle  points  to  the  North  Pole. 

The  producer  of  merchandise  must  also  arrange 
for  displaying  it  in  places  to  which  he  can  constantly 
draw  the  patronage  of  a  group  of  persons  of  similar 
tastes  and  habits  and  adequate  purchasing  power, 

A  market  is  simply  a  group  of  purchasers  who  reg- 
ularly seek  the  same  type  of  goods. 

The  numerical  strength  of  the  buying  group  is  a 
most  important  factor  in  the  service  that  the  market 
is  able  to  render  to  the  individuals  comprising  it. 

A  lawyer,  physician,  or  architect  may  have  unsur- 
passed ability,  knowledge,  and  training,  but  without 
Professional  ^  group  of  people  who  appreciate  and  will 

Services     pay  for  his  work,  his  capacity  for  service 

Enhanced     ,  ^  .  ,  ,  .  ,,  ,  tt 

by  the  benents  neither  himself  nor  others.  He 
^"^  must  find  a  market  for  what  he  can  deliver 
— a  group  of  people  who  think  alike  to  the  extent 
that  they  appreciate  and  value  his  work  and  possess 
the  means  to  purchase  it  from  him.  The  larger  the 
group  he  serves,  the  more  expert  he  becomes,  and 
the  more  he  can  charge  for  his  services  without  con- 
tracting his  market  to  a  point  where  his  full  output, 
in  time  and  energy,  would  not  be  entirely  used. 

A  bank  is  a  market  that  sells  the  use  of  money.     It 


14    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

does  not  sell  money  itself,  but  merely  the  service 
rendered  by  money.  It  buys  the  use  of  other  people's 
money  by  acting  as  custodian  of  it,  or  in  some  cases 
by  pajTUg  a  smaller  rent  to  depositors  for  their  money 
than  is  charged  those  who  borrow  it. 

The  larger  the  groups  of  depositors  and  borrow- 
ers, the  larger  the  market,  i.  e.,  the  bank.  Deposi- 
tors think  alike  in  that  they  possess  confidence  in  the 
bank  as  a  buyer  of  the  use  of  their  money;  borrowers 
think  alike  in  preferring  to  rent  money  from  a  particu- 
lar bank. 

The  market  for  a  young  man's  abihty  grows  as 

rapidly  as  the  number  of  employers  increases  who 

know  he  possesses  the  qualities  they  esteem 

oYoung     ^  an  employee.     The  possibility  of  profit- 

Man's  jjjg  \yy  jjjg  market  is  governed  in  part  by  his 
abihty  to  think  accurately  and  to  make  his 
thoughts  control  his  acts.  Even  if  his  competitors 
are  many,  he  can,  unless  the  number  greatly  exceeds 
the  demand,  or  he  concedes  equahty  by  joining  a 
labor  union,  or  admits  that  the  buyer's  estimate  of 
his  value  is  better  than  his  own,  command  a  better 
price  than  others  who  apparently  perform  the  work  as 
well  as  he  is  capable  of  doing. 

It  is  this  ability  to  get  others  to  accept  one's  own 
estimate  of  value  that  is  called  salesmanship.  It 
differentiates  the  highly  successful  from  the  ordinary 
and  mediocre.  It  is  the  only  power  the  individual 
has  by  which  to  develop  a  degree  of  influence  which 
approaches  control  of  his  market. 


BENEFIT  CONSUMER  AND  PRODUCER     15 

When  we  come  to  consider  the  nianufactiu*er  who 

caters  to  an  established  market,  we  find  that  price  is  a 

The  Buyer    j)owerful  factoF.     Price  is  not  a  measm-e 

Ex]^  of  intrinsic  value,  but  it  is  the  determinant 
i^^  °^    when  the  buyer  has  a  choice  of  products 

Yaluu      that  are  apparently  of  equal  merit. 

Economies  in  production,  due  to  the  development 
of  the  factory  system,  have  made  price  an  important 
factor  in  the  control  of  markets.  But  a  low  price 
will  not  cause  the  buyer  to  select  the  cheap)er  of  two 
articles  unless  he  is  also  convinced  that  they  are  of 
the  same  quality. 

It  is  not  safe  for  the  producer  to  make  price  a  de- 
termining factor,  imless  the  thought  of  equal  quality 
is  constantly  associated  with  it. 

Few  consumers  buy  on  the  basis  of  intrinsic  value. 
Sentiment,  rather  than  logic,  is  the  impulse  in  most 
purchases  of  the  consumer.  It  is  right  that  tMs 
should  be  so,  because  satisfaction  is  a  sentimoit. 
The  measure  of  value  in  all  conunercial  transactions 
is  the  satisfaction  to  the  buyer. 

If  a  woman  thinks  she  wants  an  exact  duplicate 

of  the  sewing  machine  her  mother  used  twenty-five 

years  ago,  she  would  be  much  better  sat- 

I*  the  Basis  Isficd  with  it  than  she  would  with  the  latest 

%^^^     modd,  unless  she  is  first  "sold"  on  the 

improvements  in  the  new  machine,  and  is 

convinced  that  her  mother  would  have  preferred  the 

modem  article  if  she  could  have  seen  it.     The  wise 

salesman  says  less  about  mechanical  features,   as 


16    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

such,  and  more  about  how  much  work  the  new  ma- 
chine would  have  saved  her  mother.  This  makes  the 
present-day  purchase  satisfactory,  and  valuable  to 
the  buyer  because  it  is  satisfactory. 

The  purchasing  power  of  a  dollar  has  been  in- 
creased enormously  by  manufacturers  who  compete 
on  a  price  basis.  But  price  competition,  without  re- 
sponsibihty  to  the  consumer  for  quality,  is  disas- 
trous to  both  the  maker  and  the  consumer. 

Price  competition,  with  full  responsibility  to  the 
consumer,  conserves  the  manufacturer's  self-respect 
and  is  truly  service  to  the  consumer. 

But  the  manufacturer  who  lets  another  make  his 
prices  for  him,  and  meets  this  condition  by  cheapen- 
ing  the   quaHty,    destroys   his   own   self- 

FoUows  respect  and  positively  injures  the  consumer 
C  ^afr  ^y  greatly  increasing  the  cost  of  service 
to  him.  This  is  always  the  case  where 
merchandise  fails  to  measure  up  to  a  quality  stand- 
ard. 

No  shrewd  business  man  defends  competition 
based  on  price  alone  as  advantageous  either  to  con- 
sumer or  producer.  The  whole  service  idea  of  a 
market  is  destroyed  unless  both  producer  and  con- 
sumer are  benefited. 

Competition  on  quality  and  on  service  widen  the 
market  and  benefit  both  the  final  buyer  and  the 
producer.  Competition  on  quality  and  service  is 
impossible  without  salesmanship.  No  salesman  is 
required  to  move  goods  on  a  price  basis.     But  expert 


BENEFIT  CONSUMER  AND  PRODUCER     17 

salesmanship  is  absolutely  essential  where  the  con- 
sumer has  to  be  taught  to  appreciate  quality  and 
where  a  market  has  to  be  developed  and  service 
maintained. 

It  is  the  introduction  of  salesmanship  into  mar- 
kets that  has  greatly  broadened  their  scope  and  has 
given  to  those  who  employed  it  the  greatest  degree  of 
influence.  Hence  it  has  become  almost  an  axiom 
that  the  man  who  can  make  sales  in  the  market  is  a 
much  more  important  factor  than  the  man  who 
produces  the  goods. 

No  salesman  is  worthy  of  the  name  until,  by  giv- 
ing satisfactory  service,  he  has  developed  a  group 
The  Sales-  ^^  customers  who  accept  his  judgment  as 

man's      superior  to  their  own. 

Mtist  Be  The  organization  and  maintenance  of 
Respected  ^j^jg  group  constitute  the  whole  value  of 
the  salesman.  With  a  group  behind  him,  he  has  a 
much  surer  position  in  the  market  than  the  producer 
has,  who  must  either  take  any  price  offered  or  em- 
ploy the  services  of  a  salesman.  The  ideal  condition, 
for  the  producer,  is  to  develop  within  himself  the 
ability  to  get  and  hold  a  group  of  buyers  to  whom  his 
name  is  a  guarantee  of  satisfaction. 

The  men  who  influence  or  control  the  market  are 
the  men  who  individually  profit  most  by  contact 
with  it. 

For  instance,  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  and  the 
New  York  Stock  Exchange  are  highly  developed 
markets  for  traffic  in  the  public's  savings.     The  men 


18    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

who  manipulate  are  the  real  money-makers.  They 
take  toll  from  the  farmer  and  the  maker  of  securities. 
They  charge  the  buyer  for  the  privilege  of  buying. 
Yet  they  unquestionably  render  a  service  to  the 
general  public.  An  uncontrolled  market  reflects 
caprice,  fear,  or  overconfidence — all  factors  that 
retard  rather  than  develop  real  service  to  producer 
and  consumer. 

Some  years  ago  a  speculator  on  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade  noticed  that  wheat  was  being  shipped  out 

Market  ^^  t^®  United  States,  and  ke  was  sure  that 
Conirol  a    within  a  few  months  it  would  be  needed 

making  here  to  prevent  famine.  His  purchases 
Oompaiion  arrested  exports.  As  it  was,  he  caught 
Kansas  wheat  on  its  way  to  our  Atlantic  ports. 
Eventually  it  was  shipped  back  to  Kansas  flour  mills. 
Had  he  not  controlled  the  market,  this  wheat  would 
have  been  exported.  Its  return  to  us  would  have 
entailed  a  vast  amount  of  otherwise  unnecessary 
labor  and  expense,  and  would  have  sent  the  price  of 
flour  to  almost  prohibitive  figures. 

A  ready  market  which  yields  cash  to  the  farmer 
increases  his  purchasing  power.  His  day's  work 
buys  more  for  him  than  he  could  get  by  exchanging 
his  produce  for  the  product  of  another's  unsupervised 
labor. 

Market  control  can  be  harmful,  but  only  when 
the  man  in  power  abuses  the  confidence  reposed  in 
him.  And  if  he  does,  he  will  ultimatdly  fail.  Con- 
trol is  better  than  chaos,  and  most  leaders  recognize 


BENEFIT  CONSUIVIER  AND  PRODUCER     19 

that  they  must  maintain  the  confidence  of  the  group 
which  makes  their  position  possible. 

A  bad  man  anywhere — in  the  pulpit,  on  the 
bench,  in  Congress,  or  in  business — does  harm.  But 
the  control  of  markets  by  men  who  may  have  no 
other  purpose  than  making  money  benefits  the  pub- 
lic. Men  who  exercise  power  must  be  forced  to  ac- 
cept responsibiUty  for  what  they  do.  Publicity  will 
insure  this. 

Because  our  markets  are  so  large,  we  scarcely 

reaHze  how  dependent  upon  each  other  producers 

and    consumers    are.     The    processes    of 

Will  Car-    distribution  are  so  involved  that  consumer 

Evilfof     ^°^  producer  seldom  come  into  personal 

Market      coutact.     The  middleman — the  man  who 

influences  and  often  controls  the  market — 

sometimes  exacts  more  than  his  service  is  worth. 

I  believe  that  this  condition  can  be  largely  done 

away  with. 

First,  the  producer  must  recognize  his  responsi- 
bility to  the  consumer.  He  can  never  do  this  if  he 
considers  price  only. 

The  Welch  Grape  Juice  Company  paid  $10  per 
ton  for  grapes  in  1897,  and  $35  in  1914.  They  have 
paid  a  constantly  increasing  price  because  they 
wanted  better  grapes,  so  as  to  maintain  the  highest 
possible  standard  of  quahty  in  Welch's  Grape  Juice. 

I  know  of  farms  in  Iowa  that  are  now  worth  three 
and  four  times  their  original  value  per  acre,  because 
their  owners  have  been  taught  how  to  raise  better 


20    ADVERTISING— SELLING  TIIE  CONSUMER 

cucumbers,  cucumbers  that  bring  a  higher  price  in 
the  market.  The  H.  J.  Heinz  Co.  has  gladly  paid 
the  higher  price,  because  they  can  give  the  consumer 
a  better  quality  of  pickles. 

In  1914  Armour  &  Company  paid  nearly  three 
times  as  much  for  live  cattle  as  they  did  twenty- 
five  years  before.  Railroads  and  packers  operate 
on  smaller  margins.  The  farmer  got  the  increased 
price.  Volume  explains  the  increased  earnings 
which  made  internal  economies  possible. 

A  feeling  of  responsibility  prompts  the  producer 

to  lend  his  name  to  his  product,  because  it  protects 

the    consumer.     Loyal    consumer    groups 

Consumers    -I'l,  *       t^  •  j*iijir»         ■ 

sliouldPre-  ouilt  up  lu  this  Way  coustitutc  the  nnest 
fer  Goods  markets  in  the  world,  because  they  are 
Producer's    controUed  by  the  man  who  created  them. 

^^yl"  A  manufacturer  can  determine  what  his 

market  costs  him,  by  subtracting  his  sell- 
ing price  from  the  price  to  the  consumer. 

An  underwear  manufacturer  who  gets  $7  per  dozen 
suits  pays  $5  to  the  men  who  control  the  market  if 
the  consumer  pays  $12  for  them.  By  directing  how 
this  $5  shall  be  spent,  it  is  possible  for  the  producer 
to  exercise  control  in  the  market,  to  give  increased 
service  to  the  distributor  who  cooperates  in  the  more 
economical  plan  of  distribution,  and  to  the  consumer. 
He  can  do  this  without  increasing  the  price  to  the 
consumer. 

A  manufacturer  who  has  no  control  in  the  market 
in  which  his  goods  are  distributed  is  in  danger,  and 


BENEFIT  CONSUMER  AND  PRODUCER     21 

surely  should  find  out  at  once  what  salesmanship  and 

advertising  could  do  for  him  and  for  his  real  customer, 

y^g       the  consumer.     The  consumer  should  and 

Dangerous  ^iH  welcome  the  producer's  advertised  ac- 

Positwn  of  .  M  •!•         <>  1  • 

Some  i/an- ceptance  of  responsibility  for  quality  and 
ufadurers  ^.j^^  service  foF  which  he  pays. 

As  I  will  show  in  later  chapters,  I  do  not  advocate 
any  radical  change  in  market  conditions,  but  I  do 
know  and  am  sure  I  will  prove  that  a  distributor 
serves  best  himself  and  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact  by  concentrating  on  distribution.  Manu- 
facturers who  will  not  accept  responsibility  for  the 
quality  of  their  product,  and  those  who  fail  to  let 
the  consumer  know,  by  advertising,  that  they  do, 
are  giving  competition  a  chance  to  manipulate  mar- 
ket conditions,  to  the  detriment  of  producer,  dis- 
tributor, and  consumer. 

REFERENCES  ON   CHAPTER  II 

Mr.  George  E.  Roberts,  formerly  Director  of  the 
Mint,  and  now  Assistant  to  the  President  of  the 
National  City  Bank  of  New  York,  has  clearly  ex- 
pounded the  value  of  accumulated  wealth  to  or- 
ganized society  in  an  article  entitled  "The  Invest- 
ment Fund." 

Mr.  Roberts  demonstrates  conclusively  that  there 
would  be  no  advantage  in  the  private  ownership 
of  capital  unless  there  were  well-organized  groups  of 
borrowers  to  make  use  of  it. 

The  benefit  to  the  borrowers  in  having  acce;^ 


22    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

to  accumulated  capital  in  the  form  of  "The  Invest- 
ment Fund"  is  exactly  the  same  as  the  individual 
in  his  dual  relation  of  producer  and  consumer  to 
organized  markets. 

Mr.  Roberts  pertinently  says:  "If  it  is  admitted 
that  all  the  members  of  the  community  as  con- 
sumers derive  benefits  from  the  increasing  production 
of  goods,  let  us  now  turn  and  see  how  much  benefit 
the  capitalist  derives  from  owning  the  equipment. 
Can  he  absorb  any  benefits  except  in  the  same 
capacity,  i.  e.,  as  a  coniumer?  Evidently  not.  It 
is  true  that  he  will  probably  consume  on  a  larger 
scale  than  his  employee.  He  may  live  in  a  larger 
house,  keep  an  automobile,  travel  abroad,  and  spend 
more  on  his  table  and  in  many  other  ways.  But 
these  expenditures,  representing  consumption,  ia- 
clude  the  only  part  of  his  income  that  is  devoted  ijo 
himself.  All  the  rest  of  it  is  added  to  the  invest- 
ment fund,  in  which  it  is  now  agreed  the  entire  com- 
munity is  interested.'* 

Mr.  Roberts  will  send  copies  of  "The  Investment 
Fund  **  to  any  reader  of  this  book  who  writes  him  direct. 

In  various  speeches  before  the  Interstate  Com- 
merce Commission,  1901-1911,  Louis  D.  Brandeis 
constantly  inveighed  against  any  increase  in  railroad 
rates,  claiming  that  the  railroads  could  increase  their 
profits  by  eliminating  useless  motion.  His  book, 
"Other  People's  Money"  (Frederick  A.  Stokes  Com- 
pany, New  York,  1914),  is  a  most  interesting  study 
of  leadership  in  the  creation  and  manipulation  of 


BENEFIT  CONSUMER  AND  PRODUCER    23 

groups  in  American  business  life  during  the  past 
twenty  years.  Not  many  persons  will  accept  at 
par  all  that  Mr.  Brandeis  says,  but  the  story  of  this 
man's  business  career  is  well  worth  the  attention  of 
every  student  of  advertising.  His  optimism  is  re- 
freshing. He  believes  in  the  people,  in  their  good 
judgment  when  facts  are  placed  before  them,  and 
in  their  capacity  for  proper  action  when  the  reasons 
are  explained.  He  expects  that  new  leaders  will  arise 
who  will  accomplish  great  things  for  all  of  us  by  an 
appeal  to  the  group  spirit.  Mr.  Brandeis  affirms 
that  power  to  dominate  a  group  can  be  retained  only 
so  long  as  its  individual  members  truly  profit  thereby. 
The  following  quotation  is  a  characteristic  sum- 
ming up  of  his  views  as  to  the  value  of  markets  and 
the  effect  of  pubHcity  upon  them : 

"Every  great  distributor  of  merchandise  knows 
the  obstacles  which  he  had  to  overcome  before  suc- 
cess was  attained;  and  the  large  sums  that  had  to 
be  invested  in  opening  and  preparing  a  market. 
Individual  concerns  have  spent  millions  in  wise 
pubHcity,  and  have  ultimately  reaped  immense  prof- 
its when  the  market  was  won.  Cities  must  take 
their  lessons  from  these  great  distributors.  Cities 
must  be  ready  to  study  the  problem  and  to  spend 
prudently  for  proper  pubHcity  work." 

Van  Antwerp's  "Stock  Exchange  from  Within" 
(Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.)  explains  fully  how  the 
control  of  the  Stock  Exchange  market  makes  for 
stabiHty  and  pubHc  advantage. 


CHAPTER  III 

SALESMANSHIP   IS   SERVICE 

TO  EVERY  human  being  comes  the  opportu- 
nity and  the  responsibility  for  salesmanship. 
None  of  us  can  achieve  success  without  the 
cooperation  of  others. 

The  successful  parent  does  not  say  to  his  child, 
"Never  do  that  again!"  with  the  added  inference 
"because  I  say  that  you  must  not."  Instead,  the 
wise  father  "sells"  his  ideas  and  ideals  to  his  child, 
thereby  getting  intelligent  and  enthusiastic  coopera- 
tion. 

That  man  will  surely  be  a  failure  who  will  not  make 

the  effort  necessary  to  get  others  to  accept  his  views 

about  matters  on  which  he  needs  their  help. 

ceed  as  None  of  us  can  be  absolutely  independent. 

^JMeio^        To  be  able  to  get  others  to  accept  your 

Induce      ideas  about  something  which  benefits  you 

Accept      (and  fair  play  demands  that  you  share  this 

Their      benefit  with  them)  is  the  essence  of  sales- 

Vtews  .  ^ 

manship. 
Ability  and  ability  to  sell  it  =  success.     Salesman- 
ship is  the  ability  to  persuade  others  to  accept  you 
at  your  own  estimate,  the  estimate  upon  which  you 

u 


SALESMANSHIP  IS  SERVICE  2J 

can  continue  to  "make  good."  This  is  as  precise  a 
definition  of  salesmanship  as  I  am  able  to  frame.  As 
applied  to  merchandise,  it  needs  only  a  change  of 
terms,  not  of  essence. 

Salesmanship  is  persuading  your  man  to  buy  what 
you  have  to  sell  at  a  price  which  means  permanent 
satisfaction  to  him  and  a  profitable  compensation  for 
you. 

Advertising   is   organized   salesmanship.     As   the 

modem  shoe  factory  has  supplanted  the  cobbler, 

so  the  use  of  words,  pictures,  type,  printing 

UOrgai^  platcs,  paper,  and  printers'  ink  have  given 

ized  Sdes-    ^q  salesmanship  an  impetus,  a  scope,  and  a 

dominion  which  it  could  never  have  had 

otherwise. 

Any  one  who  has  the  selling  instinct,  and  a  reason- 
able amount  of  experience,  can  increase  the  value  of 
his  own  service  and  that  of  the  goods  he  handles, 
by  just  the  amount  of  time,  thought,  and  energy 
he  puts  into  selling  them. 

To   many   men   the   word    "seUing"   means   un- 
necessary inflation  of  prices,  an  added  tax  upon  the 
The  Most    consumer,   and  taking  advantage  of  the 
Successful    ignorance  of  buyers.     The  trend  of  modern 

Salesman  ^  ^         ^  .i  •••i 

la  He  Who   sales  development,  however,  is  to  give  to 
^«^  ^'^    the  buyer  more  and  more  actual  service. 

Customer 

the  Most    The  only  salesman  who  may  feel  safely 
^'^'^      entrenched  is  the  one  who  makes  sure  that 
everything  he  does  counts  in  service  to  the  con- 
sumer.    By  adapting  his  merchandise  to  the  needs  of 


26    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSmiER 

his  trade,  he  can  easily  build  for  himself  a  substantial 
following.  If  he  will  study  their  individuality,  he 
can  influence  the  mental  attitude  of  prospective 
purchasers  with  regard  to  the  articles  which  make 
up  his  employer's  stock.  Unless  he  can  do  this,  un- 
less he  can  create  for  himself  a  clientele  which  will 
come  back  to  him  again  and  again,  his  employer  can- 
not afford  to  keep  him. 

Obviously  the  state  of  mind  of  the  purchaser  is  a 
weighty  factor  in  determining  the  value  of  the  article 
he  buys.  For  example — the  intrinsic  worth  of  mil- 
linery does  not  change  at  all  from  year  to  year;  but 
its  value  fluctuates  constantly,  because  fashion, 
which  is  the  mental  attitude  of  the  buying  group, 
changes. 

A  certain  salesman  sells  you  a  hat,  a  suit  of  clothes, 
or  a  piece  of  furniture  in  such  a  way  that  it  affords 
you  a  great  deal  more  satisfaction  than 
Mige^     would  the  same  article  bought  from  another 
Saletman    salesman.     Some  who  pretend  to  be  sales- 
Thai^iT  men  lose  sales  because  they  do  not  know 
^*^*^^    how  to  present  to  the  prospective  purchaser 
Not  End     the  merits  of  their  wares.     The  intelligent 
"soZc        salesman  knows  that  we  all  buy  things  be- 
i  cause  the  possession  of  them  gives  us  a 
definite  kind  of  satisfaction;  he  knows,  too,  that  lack- 
ing a  convinced  state  of  mind  with  reference  to  the 
article  purchased,  there  can  be  no  satisfaction. 

The  salesman's  opportunity  to  give  the  customer 
actual  service  becomes  more  apparent  when  we  con- 


SALESMANSHIP  IS  SERVICE  27 

sider  the  selling  of  a  kitchen  range,  a  sewing  machine, 

or  an  automobile.     Here  he  can  demonstrate  to  the 

prospective  purchaser  that  the  construc- 

The       tion  and  method  of  operation  of  the  range. 

That  Mer.   scwing  machine,  or  automobile  will  give 

^Mm-e  ^u    ^°^  economical  and  adequate  service.     In 

tractive      the  last  analysis,  the  man  who  buys  an 

Than  the  .  i  m     i  i  ft 

Goods  automobile  buys  so  many  hours  of  pleasur- 
able transportation,  or  so  many  miles  of 
dependable  locomotion.  It  is  certain  that  the  sales- 
man who  teaches  the  buyer  how  to  use  his  automobile 
to  the  best  advantage  increases  its  life  and  materially 
decreases  the  cost  per  hour  or  per  mile  of  the  service 
purchased. 

The  travehng  salesman  who  calls  on  dealers  eventu- 
ally becomes  a  competent  counsellor  on  merchandis- 
Merehan.    ^°^'   financing,    and   trade-building.     One 
disc  Plus    sees  why  a  dealer  might  pay  such  a  man 

Advice  and  ,  i         i  •        .  i  i  11 

Ideas  More]  more  for  merchandise  than  he  would  pay 
VaiuMe '  ^  another,  and  still  be  better  off  both  in 

Than  Mer-  '  1  1  r» 

chandise     the  matter  of  aggregate  sales  and  profits, 

"*  and  more  permanent  business. 
The  salesman  has  made  himseK  indispensable  who 
knows  he  earnSy  in  positive  service  to  the  buyer, 
every  cent  he  receives  from  his  employer.  He  will 
never  be  laid  off.  Every  salesman  who  aspires  to 
be  something  more  than  a  necessary  Unk  between 
buyer  and  seller  must  realize  that  his  salary  and 
expenses  are  included  in  every  sale  he  makes,  and  that 
he  is  either  a  burden  or  a  benefit  to  the  consumer. 


28    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  clerk  who  renders  the  buyer  definite  service, 
and  has  this  clearly  in  mind  has  taken  the  first  step 
toward  something  better.  Once  the  elements  of  hia 
own  service  to  the  buyer  are  clearly  outHned,  he  is 
fired  with  ambition  to  do  just  such  work  for  more 
buyers — more  than  he  can  wait  upon  personally. 
This  means  that  he  soon  needs  assistants  to  whom 
he  may  delegate  a  share  of  his  duties. 

To  such  men  advertising  appeals.     They  see  its 
relationship  to  modern  business  methods, 
^j     .  .  Advertising  is  systematized  selling.   Pros- 

Aavertising  .  . 

Is  Service    pcctivc  purchasers  are  influenced  m  groups. 
^shiTSt    They  may  not  be   aware  that  they   are 
reded  at  a    being  reached  and  influenced  in  a  whole- 
sale way  and  that  the  force  which  is  chang- 
ing their  mental  attitude  is  accomplishing  similar 
results   with  many  others   at  the  same  time.     In 
fact,  the  chances  are,  if  the  advertising  has  been 
properly  planned,  that  each  individual  will  think  he 
has  been  singled  out  for  special  attention;  or,  better 
still,  that  he  has,  without  outside  suggestion,  decided 
himself  to  do  this  certain  thing. 

Adoertising       The  best  Salesman  uses  suggestion  in  his 
^f^^      work.     He  strives  to  leave  with  the  pur- 
Desire*      chaser  the  impression  that  the  article  has 
fit  the^   been  bought  voluntarily,  rather  than  that 
Consumer    Jje  has  been  persuaded  to  buy.     He  uses 
advertising  in  the  same  way.     He  values  his   self- 
respect  (the  one  complete  satisfaction),  and  would 
refuse   to   lend   his   ability   to   the   furtherance   of 


SALESIVIANSHIP  IS  SERVICE  29 

any  plan  which  would  not  benefit  the  fijial  pur- 
chaser. 

This  does  not  mean  that  salesmanship  and  adver- 
tising cannot  be,  or  have  not  been,  used  by  men  who 
did  not  have  the  welfare  of  their  fellow  men  at  heart. 
But  it  does  mean  that  the  man  who  analyzes  his 
work,  who  studies  his  opportunities,  who  desires 
to  attain  for  himself  the  best  satisfactions  and  to 
keep  his  self-respect  will  use  his  ability  to  sell  (and 
his  powerful  selling  helper,  advertising),  for  the  good 
of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

Men  who  have  studied  newspaper  and  magazine 

advertising  for  the  last  twenty-five  years  note  with 

great  satisfaction  the  constantly  increasing 

Fast  number  of  publishers  who  realize  that  ad- 
T^rRe-  vcrtising  should  serve  rather  than  exploit 
aponsibility  the  subscriber.  Advertising  space  was  or- 
iginally a  by-product  of  the  publishing 
business.  The  publisher  looked  primarily  to  the 
subscriber  for  his  compensation  and  was  concerned 
(1)  with  organizing  a  group  of  people  who  would  take 
regularly  and  pay  for  his  publication,  (2)  with  col- 
lecting, writing,  and  illustrating  the  reading  matter 
to  be  used,  and  (3)  with  the  mechanical,  financial, 
and  executive  problems  which  he  must  handle  in  the 
course  of  buying  paper,  putting  the  reading  matter 
into  type,  turning  the  presses,  and  distributing  the 
publications  produced  thereon. 

For  many  years  advertising  remained  a  mystery 
to  publishers.     They  knew  there  were  people  ready 


30    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

to  buy  space.     But  most  of  them  believed  (since 

the  reader  knows  that  reading  and  advertising  mat- 

_,^  _         ter  are  two  separate  things,  the  publisher 

ofAdvertU-   being  responsible  for  the  former,  and  the 

^t^"wid     advertiser  for  the  latter)  that  they   (the 

Fake  publishers)  had  no  responsibility  to  the  sub- 
Fast  scriber  if  the  advertiser  s  name  appeared 
aanng     j^gjieath  his  announcement. 

This  condition  was  a  loophole  through  which  the 
unscrupulous  preyed  upon  and  exploited  the  reader. 
All  sorts  of  fake  medical,  disastrous  financial,  and  un- 
reHable  merchandising  schemes  were  put  upon  the 
market,  and  they  paid — in  dollars  and  cents — because 
their  authors  possessed  a  shrewd  knowledge  of  hu- 
man nature,  and  ability  to  write  profitable  advertis- 
ing copy. 

The  general  magazines  are  given  credit  for  being 
the  first  to  "clean  up."  But  I  know  newspaper 
publishers,  in  both  large  and  small  cities,  who  for 
nearly  half  a  century  have  refused  to  carry  in  their 
advertising  columns  the  announcement  of  any  busi- 
ness in  which  they  would  not  be  wilhng  to  engage. 

Pubhshers  and  advertisers  are  recognizing  that 

the  complete  confidence  of  the  subscriber  is  the  one 

sure  foundation  on  which  to  build  a  success- 

oTAdver^   ful  magazine,  newspaper,  or  class  pubHca- 

tidt^  a     tion.     Anything  which  weakens  it  reduces 

Swmce  the  publisher's  capital.  The  reader  may 
not  be  aware  that  his  confidence  has  in- 
creased or  diminished.     But  it  is  certain  that  depend- 


SALESIVIANSHIP  IS  SERVICE  31 

able,  trustworthy  news,  editorial  and  advertising 
announcements,  add  to  confidence  slowly  but  con- 
stantly, and  that  unrehability  cuts  it  down  rapidly. 

Of  late  even  the  announcements  of  businesses  which 
are  thoroughly  rehable  are  censored,  to  make  certain 
that  they  contain  nothing  which  in  any  wise  reflects 
upon  their  competitors.  PubHshers  take  the  stand 
that  the  buyer's  confidence  in  advertising  as  a  whole 
cannot  be  held  if  one  advertiser  is  allowed  to  discredit 
another. 

This  is  a  very  encouraging  development  of  the 
service  idea,  a  most  satisfactory  indication  that  dur- 
ing the  coming  twenty-five  years  advertising  is  to 
be  a  much  more  important  factor  in  reducing  the  cost 
of  production  and  distribution,  and  in  raising  the 
standard  of  merchandise  and  human  service,  than  it 
has  been  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  century. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER  m 

Walter  D.  Moody's  "Men  Who  SeU  Things,"  1907 
(A.  C.  McClurg  &  Company,  Chicago)  supplements 
this  chapter  admirably.  It  is  inspiring,  informative, 
and  practical. 

In  "Influencing  Men  in  Business,"  1911  (The 
Ronald  Press  Company,  New  York),  Professor^ Walter 
Dill  Scott,  of  Northwestern  University,  presents  the 
results  of  scientific  tests  which  bear  out  the  conclu- 
sions reached  by  experienced  and  thoughtful  sales- 
men. Professor  Scott  has  written  several  other 
books.     All  of  them  deal  with  his  method  of  testing 


S2    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

the  laws  of  mental  action  in  his  laboratory,  and  the 
results  he  has  observed.     All  are  worth  careful  study. 

Mr.  A.  F.  Sheldon  has  written  much  and  thought- 
fully about  salesmanship.  He  has  made  a  sincere 
effort  to  segregate  the  various  elements  which  pro- 
duce successful  sales,  and  to  explain  the  laws  which 
govern  them  in  a  correspondence  course  (The  Sheldon 
School,  Chicago),  which  one  is  required  to  take  in 
order  to  secure  his  text-books. 

Mr.  Sheldon  claims  every  sale  takes  place  in  the 
buyer's  mind,  and  the  processes  through  which  his 
mind  passes  and  which  the  successful  salesman 
intelligently  stimulates  are  (1)  Attention,  (2)  In- 
terest, (3)  Desire,  (4)  Conviction.  Conviction  auto- 
matically arouses  the  buying  impulse  to  action, 
forcing  the  lips  to  say  the  words  and  the  hands  to 
open  the  purse  strings  and  thus  complete  the  sale. 
The  Business  Philosopher,  published  at  Aera,  Illi- 
nois monthly  contains  Mr.  Sheldon's  latest  thoughts. 


CHAPTER  IV 

HOW   THE  SALESMAN  BECOMES  A   PRODUCER 

THE  retailer's  heaviest  cost  item  is  for  labor. 
The  largest  part  of  distribution  is  labor.  The 
big  rewards  in  business  go  to  the  men  who 
can  plan,  systematize  and  manage  to  get  the  maxi- 
mum result  with  a  minimum  of  labor.  The  growth 
of  a  store  which  relies  up>on  its  sales  force  to  educate 
each  individual  customer  will  be  slow,  and  it  will  be 
limited  by  the  ability  or  inability  of  the  management 
to  develop  in  its  clerks  salesmanship  of  the  highest 
type. 

The  man  behind  the  counter  should  know  the  ad- 
vertising which  his  firm  is  doing;  also  he  ought  to 
Personal     Understand  the  advertising  of  trademarked 
Salesman-    brauds,  nationally  known,  which  are  part 
ha^ed'by    of  the  stocks  he  sclls.     Many  people  who 
Advertising  J^ave   considered   advertising   only   super- 
ficially  think,   that  it  limits   the   opportunities  of 
personal  salesmanship.     On  the  contrary,  it  increases 
them.     Salesmanship  is  that  quality  in  a  man  which 
enables  him  to  get  others  to  accept  him  at  his  own 
valuation.     Every   leader   is   a   salesman.     He   has 
"sold"  his  group,  which  is  the  constant  expression 

ds 


34    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER^ 

of  his  power,  on  his  ideas.  Every  merchant  is  a 
warehouseman  plus  the  abihty  to  bring  to  his  store 
people  who  will  accept  his  estimate  of  the  value  of 
the  goods  displayed  there. 

Granted  that  what  people  think  about  what  they 
buy  is  the  most  important  factor  in  determining  its 
value  to  them,  ability  to  create  a  favorable  state  of 
mind  must  find  a  permanent  place  in  every  successful 
merchandising  plan.  Modern  merchandising  believes 
that  the  salesman's  time  is  too  valuable  to  be  spent 
in  doing  work  that  an  advertisement  can  do,  and  that 
the  salesman  who  cooperates  with  advertising  and 
specializes  in  doing  those  things  which  an  advertise- 
ment cannot  do  is  more  efficient  than  the  man  who 
attempts  to  divide  his  activities. 

If  we  grant  that  present  day  business  is  a  traflSc 
in  satisfactions,  that  goods  are  bought  because  the 
The  Sales-   purchaser  has  been  put  in  and  is  maintained 
^Tu^s'^    in  a  favorable  state  of  mind  regarding 
Satisfactions  them,  then  the  work  of  the  salesman  must 
~^e  of    always  be  regarded  as  productive. 
Real  Values      Consider  the  retail  shoe  salesman  as  a 
case  in  point.     The  manufacturer  selects  his  leather 
and  decides  upon  a  correct  design.     The  shoes  are 
made  by  his  expert  workmen  and  shipped  to  the 
jobber,  who  resells  them  to  the  retailer  as  a  result 
of  the  business-building  talks  of  the  jobber's  sales- 
man. 

But  the  shoes  have  not  been  sold  until  they  have 
been  fitted  to  the  consumer's  feet.     There  is  nothing 


HOW  SALESMAN  BECOMES  PRODUCER    35 

wiuch  calls  for  more  judgment,  tact,  and  actual  ser- 
vice ability  than  does  the  fitting  of  a  pair  of  6-C 
shoes  on  a  woman  who  asks  for  a  S-A.  No  matter 
what  the  customer  asks  for,  the  salesman  must 
see  that  she  gets  a  shoe  which  will  give  her  the 
satisfaction  she  honestly  craves.  He  cannot  do 
this  as  it  [should  be  done  if  he  deceives  her  in  any 
way. 

A  shoe  that  does  not  fit  has  back  of  it  all  that  its 

maker,  the  jobber  and  the  retailer  can  do,  just  as 

has  a  shoe  that  gives  absolute  comfort  and 

Shoes  Are   thorough  Satisfaction.     The  difference  is 

Produced    wholly  a  matter  of  salesmanship.     It  de- 

by  Sales- 

men  as  Well  pends  upou  whether  or  not  an  adjustment 
^^^ST'  between  the  foot  and  the  shoe  has  been 
properly  made  by  the  inteUigence,  tact 
and  good  judgment  of  the  salesman. 

The  consumer  does  not  buy  leather  or  labor  when 
she  buys  shoes.  The  essence  of  her  purchase  is 
satisfactory  service.  The  consumer  buys  satis- 
faction. The  salesman  delivers  satisfaction.  This 
makes  him  a  producer. 

Some  time  ago,  at  an  automobile  manufacturer's 
sales  meeting,  the  president  of  the  company  said 
that  the  best  salesman  they  had  ever  had,  the  man 
who  sold  the  most  cars  in  any  given  period  of  time, 
had  involved  them  in  so  many  diflSculties  and  adjust- 
ments that  he  was  unprofitable.  Half  an  hour  later 
a  North  Carolina  dealer  was  introduced  by  his  field 
manager  with  this  remark:  "In  this  man's  territory 


36    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

we  never  have  any  kicks,  difficulties,  troubles  or 
adjustments." 

When  it  came  my  turn  to  talk  I  asked  whether 

"the  best  salesman  they  had  ever  had"  and  the 

North   Carolina  dealer  had  handled   the 

AuLnuh     same  model   and   design.     Yes,   the   cars 

S^r    ^^^^  *^®  same.     Had  the  North  Carolina 

Different    dealer  made  any  changes  in  the  cars  before 

^wn'r     ^^  dehvered  them  to  his  customers?     No; 

he  merely  inspected  them. 
It  occurred  to  me  that  the  difference  must  be  in 
the  state  of  mind  of  the  purchasers.  So  I  asked  this 
dealer  to  tell  me  exactly  how  he  sold  his  cars.  His 
reply  contained  the  concentrated  essence  of  suc- 
cessful salesmanship,  and  proved  that  the  true  sales- 
man is  second  to  no  other  factor  in  production. 

He  said:  "I  never  allow  a  man  to  take  a  car  off  my 
floor  until  I  am  sure  he  knows  how  to  run  it  and  meet 
every  emergency  which  might  arise  in  its  everyday  use. 
The  fact  that  he  thinks  he  knows  how  to  run  it  isn't 
enough  for  me — I've  got  to  know  that  he  knows." 

In    working    out    merchandising   plans    for    cus- 
tomers I  have  had  many  conferences  with  traveling 
salesmen  and  retail  clerks,  the  object  being 
Pa-per      to  "sell"  them  on  the  advantage  to  them 
l^Tms    ^^    understanding   and    cooperating    with 
Goods  More  the  advertising  plan  installed  in  the  busi- 
—    ness  by  which  they  were  employed.  ;  Often 
I  have  told  them  stories  of  my  own  experiences. 
"When  I  managed  a  printing  office  in  connection 


HOW  SALESMAN  BECOIVIES  PRODUCER    37 

with  a  newspaper  which  my  father  and  I  owned  in 
Iowa  I  bought  all  paper  from  one  salesman,  who 
offered  me  nothing  better  in  price  or  quahty  than 
did  at  least  eight  others  who  called  on  me  regularly. 
This  salesman  was  constantly  on  the  lookout  for 
me  when  he  was  visiting  in  other  cities,  finding  out 
what  merchants,  manufacturers,  doctors,  dentists, 
lawyers,  and  commission  men  were  using  in  the  way 
of  printed  matter.  Whenever  he  could  get  hold  of 
them  he  mailed  me  samples,  which  gave  me  ideas 
with  which  to  sohcit  people  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness in  our  town.  Most  of  them  had  never  thought 
of  using  printing,  but  they  were  pretty  generally 
interested  in  the  specific  suggestions  I  gave  them. 

I  could  not  escape  the  conclusion  that  this  sales- 
man's goods  were  worth  more  to  me  than  any  com- 
petitive article  of  the  same  quahty  could  be,  even 
at  a  much  lower  price. 

A  range  manufacturer  who  started  in  business  by 

selling  stoves  to  farmers  from  a  wagon  in  which  he 

went  from  farm  to  farm  told  me  how  he 

A  Dealer    \^qj\  convinced  a  dealer  in  Bloomington, 

uith  29     HI.,  that  price  has  Kttle  to  do  with  sales. 

^!wL?"  This  dealer  was  an  old-time  friend  of  his. 

'penence 

Learns      So  wheu  he  began  to  manufacture  ranges 

iV«c       he  sent  the  Bloomington  dealer  three  of 

them.     The  dealer  put  them  in  the  front 

of  the  store  and  instructed  his  clerks  to  show  them 

to  all  callers.     But  at  the  end  of  twelve  months  he  had 

sold  only  one.     He  wrote  the  manufacturer  that  the 

47B30 


38    ADVERTISmG— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

people  of  Bloomington  would  not  pay  such  a  high  price 
for  a  range.  He  knew,  because  he  had  been  in  busi- 
ness there  twenty-nine  years  and  had  the  leading  store. 

The  manufacturer  went  to  Bloomington.  While 
he  was  in  the  store  the  first  morning  after  his  arrival 
a  woman  entered  and  asked  to  see  a  kitchen  stove. 
A  clerk  led  her  to  the  two  ranges  in  the  front  of  the 
store.  She  asked  the  price.  The  clerk  was  about 
to  tell  her  when  the  manufacturer  stepped  up  and 
told  her  that  she  had  never  seen  ranges  like  these 
before.  He  opened  one  of  the  oven  doors,  which 
dropped  on  hinges,  and  stood  on  it.  He  assured 
the  woman  that  this  range  would  be  giving  useful 
service  long  after  she  and  he  had  been  laid  away. 
He  kept  telling  her  what  the  range  would  do.  He 
knew  that  she  was  a  good  cook,  for  if  she  weren't 
she  wouldn't  be  looking  at  such  things  as  ranges 
herself.  What  he  would  like  better  than  anything 
else,  he  told  her,  was  to  get  her  permission  to  install 
that  range  in  her  kitchen  that  day,  so  that  she  could 
give  her  husband  the  finest  biscuits  for  supper  that 
he  had  ever  eaten. 

When  she  mildly  questioned  the  possibihty  of 

What  a     having  the  range  up  in  time  to  use  it  that 

Range  Will  night  he  Ordered  the  stove  to  be  delivered 

Do  and  Not  .    °  t         .  i      i  ^  n 

What  It  immediately  and  said  that  he  personally 
dui  *"imZ  would  see  that  it  was  put  up. 

mines  Its       Then  she  remembered  that  she  had  not 

yet  found  out  what  the  price  was.     He 

teld  her  that  she  would,  of  course,  have  to  pay 


HOW  SALESMAN  BECOMES  PRODUCER     39 

more  for  such  a  remarkable  range  than  for  just 
an  ordinary  one.  But  the  difference  was  so  Httle 
in  consideration  of  the  service  she  was  going  to  get 
that  he  knew  she  would  be  glad  to  pay  it.  And  she 
was. 

By  using  the  local  newspapers  to  bring  people 
into  the  store  to  see  a  demonstration  of  the  range  in 
actual  use  this  manufacturer  in  thirty  days  sold 
more  than  a  carload  of  ranges  for  the  dealer  who 
had  been  unable  to  dispose  of  more  than  one  in  a 
year. 

I  believe  the  best  service  is  rendered  where  the 
salesman  and  the  consumer  who  prefers  to  buy  from 
him  understand  that  it  is  the  salesman's  knowledge 
of  what  the  customer  needs  that  makes  the  goods  he 
buys  satisfactory.  The  consumer  does  not  usually 
know  this.  Most  buyers  think  they  are  using  their 
own  judgment,  and  they  would  scarcely  admit  that 
their  favorite  salesman  knows  better  than  they 
what  will  satisfy  them, 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER   IV 

In  a  two-volume  work,  "Principles  of  Economics," 
1912  (The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York,  F.  W. 
Taussig),  Henry  Lee,  Professor  of  Economics  in  Har- 
vard University,  has  defined  the  creative  power  of 
salesmanship  in  the  clearest  and  most  satisfactory 
manner  (page  22,  Vol.  1):  "All  those  whose  labors 
satisfy  wants — all  those  who  bring  about  satisfac- 
tion or  utilities — are  to  be  reckoned  as  taking  part 


40    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

in  production,  and  are  to  be  called  productive  la- 
borers. ...  So  long  as  a  person  who  buys  a 
thing  or  pays  for  a  service  really  desires  it,  the  labor 
which  yields  him  the  satisfaction  is  productive." 
These  two  volumes,  in  clear  and  concise  English, 
are  very  easily  read  and  will  help  you  tremendously 
in  clarifying  your  own  convictions.  Professor  Taus- 
sig understands  the  group  spirit,  because  he  says 
(page  30,  Vol.  1) ;  *'It  is  strictly  true  that  the  workers 
in  a  modern  society  combine  in  bringing  about  a 
joint  output;  but  the  consciousness  of  cooperation 
is  lost." 

In  "Concentration  and  Control,"  1912  (the  Mac- 
millan  Company,  New  York  City),  Charles  R.  Van 
Hise,  president  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  dis- 
cusses at  considerable  length  the  debasing  effects  of 
price  competition  as  compared  with  the  splendid 
results  which  the  other  two  kinds  of  competition — 
namely,  quality  and  service  competition — ^get  for  us. 


CHAPTER  V 

ADVERTISING   IS   SELLING   THE   GROUP 

GRANTED  that  a  salesman  is  one  who  can  get 
other  people  to  accept  his  estimate  of  the 
value  of  the  article  he  offers  for  sale  (his 
valuation  to  include  the  value  of  the  article  itself 
plus  the  value  of  his  service  to  the  customer),  how 
long  do  you  think  he  will  be  content  to  appeal  to 
only  one  buyer  at  a  time?  Certainly  the  moment  he 
becomes  aware  of  his  ability  he  will  want  to  accom- 
plish results  in  a  larger  and  broader  way. 

The  distinction  between  a  merchant  and  a  store- 
keeper depends  entirely  upon  the  degree  of  sales- 
manship  possessed  by  the  former.     Theo- 
sldp  Con-    retically  both  handle  goods  for  which  there 
storeJcMvers  ^xists  a  buying  demand,  in  a  location  which 
into        is  convenient  for  the  purchaser.     A  store- 

Merchanta     ,  ,  ^        ,       i  i  . 

keeper  becomes  a  merchant  when  ne  puts 
personality  into  his  work  and  gathers  about  him  a 
group  of  people  who,  consciously  or  unconsciously, 
accept  as  valuable  his  endorsement  or  recommenda- 
tion of  what  he  offers  them.  Sometimes  a  certain 
store  draws  trade  from  a  long  distance  past  shops 
where  equally  desirable  merchandise  is  to  be  had 

41 


42    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

for  practically  the  same  or  even  less  money.  That  is 
because  the  purchaser  is  definitely  influenced  by  the 
prestige  of  the  merchant  with  whom  he  is  accustomed 
to  deal. 

A  striking  illustration  of  this  fact  was  afforded  me 

one  day  in  Detroit.     I  noticed  that  next  door  to  a 

Getting  the  ^  cut-ratc  drug  stoFC  was  the  drug  section  of 

Confidence   g^  large  department  store.     In  the  latter  I 

Group  approached  a  saleswoman  who  appeared  to 
Department-  ^®  ^^  about  average  intelligence.  I  made 
store  Idea  a  small  purchase,  and  then  asked  her  the 
price  of  Mennen's  Talcum  Powder. 

"Eighteen  cents." 

"What,"  I  ventured,  "would  you  say  if  I  should 
tell  you  that  I  can  buy  a  box  next  door  for  12  cents.f*" 

"That  often  happens.  Our  manager  has  told  us  to 
tell  people  that  we  don't  know  anything  about  the 
goods  that  are  sold  next  door.  We  guarantee  our 
Mennen's  to  be  the  genuine  article,  and  a  lady  told 
me,  a  few  days  ago,  that  she  wasn't  going  to  buy  any 
more  of  that  cheap  Mennen's,  for  she  had  used  some 
on  her  baby  and  it  had  broken  out  with  a  rash, 
and  that  hereafter  she  will  buy  goods  where  she 
knows  they  are  genuine." 

This  is  an  extreme  case.  But  it  points  out  clearly 
that  a  department  store  is  fundamentally  and  essen- 
tially the  group  of  human  beings  whose  confidence 
that  store  has  won  and  is  able  to  hold. 

We  are  all  fortunate  in  being  members  of  many 
social  groups.     Membership  in  the  family  group  is 


ADVERTISING  IS  SELLING  THE  GROUP    43 

economically  of  inestimable  value,  and  procures  for 

us  one  of  our  most  lasting  satisfactions.     As  a  rule 

_,,    „         we  are  not  conscious  that  we  belong  to 

The  Group  ttt     i  i  i         i  • 

Is  Com-    groups.     We  nave  never  thought  about  it. 

rC  Who   We  are  Democrats  or  Republicans,  Prot- 

Think      estants  or   Catholics,   we  are  literary  or 

athletic,  we  go  in  for  opera  or  the  "  movies  '* 

but  quite  without  thinking  of  it  as  a  group  activity. 

We  enjoy  being  with  and  cooperating  with  those 
who  think  as  we  do.  But  unless  we  take  an  active 
part  in  the  administration  of  their  affairs,  we  benefit  by 
membership  in  clubs,  churches,  and  other  groups  chiefly 
in  that  it  relieves  us  of  doing  our  thinking  ourselves. 

Some  philosophers,  Le  Bon  and  Nietzsche,  for 

example,  are  of  the  opinion  that  human  beings  lose 

in  individuality  by  herding  in  groups.     Nietzsche 

believed  that  it  is  impossible  for  two  or  more 

VieZ  fry    human  beings  to  agree,  unless  one  of  them 

Philoso-     dominates    the    thought    of    the    others. 

pners  .  ° 

Le  Bon  outlines  the  process  of  influencing 
crowds  as  affirmation,  repetition,  and  contagion. 
Neither  one  of  these  men  sufficiently  emphasizes  the 
thought  that  we  may  enter  or  leave  a  group  as  we  please. 

The  man  who  does  not  interest  himself  in  the  affairs 

which  concern  the  welfare  of  the  city  in  which  he 

Groups  Are  livcs  misscs  much  of  the  pleasure  of  being 

ReaUy  Co-   a  citizen.     Nor  can  he  give  his  city  the 

Organiza-    benefit  of  his  ideas  for  its  betterment  until 

twns  j^g  ^^^  secure  the  cooperation  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.     He  cannot  truly  enjoy  the  fruits  of  coopera- 


44    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUIVIER 

tion  unless  he  be  a  member  of  the  cooperating  or- 
ganizations. 

Every  man  should  find  in  his  own  business  enough 
to  absorb  the  bulk  of  his  time  and  creative  energy. 
By  regarding  himseK  with  relation  to  his  own  busi- 
ness as  the  trustee  of  a  group  of  cooperative  buyers, 
he  can  offer  each  member  of  the  group  better  values 
at  less  individual  outlay  than  would  be  called  for 
should  they  buy  individually. 

A  large  city  is  a  concrete  example  of  what  the 

group  idea,  raised  to  the  n*'^  power,  is  worth.     Our 

transportation   facilities   are   creations   of 

Cities,      the  cooperative  spirit.     Twenty-hour  trains 

^"puhlki''  between  Chicago  and  New  York  are  facts 

tians.  Good  because  railroad  oflScials  know  that  each 

Examples       i         •       ,i  ,    •  t  • 

of  the  day  m  the  year  a  certain  number  of  men 
Grou-p  (j^jj  |-)g  depended  upon  practically  to 
charter  a  special  train  for  the  trip.  Each 
passenger  has  the  same  physical  comforts,  luxuries, 
and  speed  that  a  special  train  could  give  him — plus 
a  substantial  saving  on  his  ticket.  Such  trains  are 
the  highest  development,  at  present,  of  cooperative 
service  in  steam  transportation. 

Magazines,  newspapers,  and  class  publications 
offer  the  members  of  their  groups  definite  savings. 
A  technical  engineering  journal  gathers  and  gives 
out  to  a  large  group  of  individuals  who  can  make 
effective  use  of  it,  information  which  has  been  brought 
together  by  many  individuals  at  a  cost  that  would  be 
prohibitive  for  any  one  member  of  the  group. 


ADVERTISING  IS  SELLING  THE  GROUP    45 

Several  farm  papers  keep  scientific  specialists  at 
work  on  experiments,  the  results  of  which  have 
largely  increased  the  yield  per  acre  and  have  de- 
creased the  cost  of  farming. 

A  daily  newspaper  delivers  to  one's  home,  for  one 

cent,  a  complete  canvass  of  the  world  by  cable  and 

telegraph,   plus   the  local  field,   which   is 

Conven-     covcrcd  by  many  capable  men.     No  one 

Luxuries,    pcFson,  no  matter  how  large  his  income, 

'^ caiion'    could  afford  to  dupHcate  this  information 

Made       individually  for  his  own  pleasure  or  use. 

Avatlable  n/r  •  i  e      •  ^  i 

for  All  Magazmes  nave  fostered  a  general  ap- 

^^ouvs^   preciation  of  art  and  have  increased  the 
ability  of  artists  by  giving  them  a  market 
for  their  product.     A  similar  statement  might  be  made 
with  regard  to  the  writing  of  books.     The  average  of 
culture  and  refinement  has  been  materially  raised,  and 
men  have  been  developed  to  cater  to  those  new  wants. 
The  pulling  force  of  the  group  idea  is  that  mem- 
bership in  any  group  is,  in  practically  all  cases,  purely 
a  matter  of  volition.     No  man  need  belong  to  the 
liquor-drinking  or  to  the  tobacco-consuming  group 
unless  he  wishes.     He  may  also  withdraw  from  either 
-,    .        group  at  will.     Yet  the  business  of  fulfilling 

Member-        ,       ,      .  .    , 

ship  in      the  desires  of  these  two  groups  represents  an 

"^lUr^lTI   annual  expenditure  of  $1,800,000,000  and 

Matter  of    $850,000,000  respectively.     Another  group 

makes  it  possible  for  pubHshers  to  do  a 

$190,000,000   business  in  books   and   papers  each 

year. 


46    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER    , 

The  coffee  group  drinks  $300,000,000  worth  of 

coffee  annually.  The  butter  group  buys  $694,000,000 

worth     of    butter,     which     is     more     than     twice 

y^        the  amount  spent  for  bread,  which  aggre- 

Trenwridcms  gates  $300,000,000.     I  mention  the  bread 

Projmrtions  ti     i  i  •  i         i 

of  Certain    group    as   more   likely   to   be   considered 

Groups      compulsory.     Statistics  show  that  the  total 

expenditure  for  what  are  considered  necessities  is 

very  small  in  comparison  with  that  which  is  paid  for 

luxuries. 

When  a  salesman  realizes  how  small  a  part  his 

personal  sales  are  of  the  total  consumption  of  the 

,    „    ,     products  he  sells,  he  begins  to  see  what 

In  Reach-        ,  .  .  i  •  -kr 

ing  Groups  advertising  may  mean  to  mm.    No  matter 
M^^i^  how  many  assistants  he  may  have,  nor 
Salesnian-    Jiqw   he   may    organize    and    systematize 
their  work,  to  call  personally  on  the  num- 
ber of  people  whom  he  could  persuade  to  prefer  his 
product  to  that  offered  by  others  would  be  impos- 
sible.    Reahzing  how  Httle  is  needed  to  determine 
a  preference  in  the  purchaser's  mind,  he  calls  on 
advertising  to  help  him  develop  a  demand  for  the 
article  he  has  to  sell. 

The  far-seeing  salesman  realizes  that  the  safest 
and  usually  the  best  way  to  go  through  a  forest 
is  to  follow  a  blazed  trail.  He  knows  that  human 
beings  have  been  grouped  in  many  different  ways; 
he  believes  a  group  can  be  formed  for  his  product 
and  that  the  best  way  to  do  it  is  to  use  groups  al- 
ready in  existence  if  he  can  adapt  them  to  his  purpose. 


ADVERTISING  IS  SELLING  THE  GROUP    47 

If  the  citizens  of  a  small  town  call  at  the  postoffice 
every  day  for  their  mail,  they  have  that  much  in  com- 

Ovidoor      ™^^  ^^^  Constitute  a  group  to  which  the 

Street-car,    salesman  can  best  appeal  from  a  location 

Publication  ii^ar  the  postoffice.     If  there  is  a  public 

Adrertinng   square  in  the  centre  of  town,  or  any  other 

pcoZ  to  a     place  at  which  people  have  the  habit  of 

™"^      congregating,  the  value  of  a  sign  there  is 

directly  affected  by  the  numerical  strength  of  the 

group  and  by  the  purchasing  power  of  its  individual 

members. 

A  street  car  is  essentially  a  cooperative  unit  con- 
tributing five  cents  a  traveler  for  transportation 
which  must  otherwise  cost  many  times  that  amount. 
Lacking  the  group  of  customers,  there  would  be  no 
street  car.  Therefore,  the  street-car  card  appeals 
directly  to  the  group  spirit. 

A  newspaper  or  magazine  is  an  impossibility  unless 
a  well-organized  group  awaits  with  constant  interest 
the  knowledge  which  it  is  accustomed  to  receive 
through  this  particular  channel. 

An  advertisement  in  a  magazine  or  a  newspaper 
is  effective  in  direct  proportion  to  the  degree  to 
which  it  senses  and  touches  the  group  idea  which 
makes  the  publications  possible. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  success  of  the  late  Ira  D. 
Sankey  was  due  to  the  fact  that  he  took  advantage 
of  a  universal  group  characteristic,  sensitiveness 
to  melody,  and  strengthened  the  appeal  by  using 
in    the    wording    of    his   hymns    the    vernacular 


48    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

of   the    particular    group   to    which    Mr.    Moody 

wished  to  present  the  Gospel  truths.      The  "Ninety 

and    Nine"    was   specifically   directed    at 

K^noteof   shecp-raisers.     "Pullfor  the  Shore,  Boys!" 

Growp      aimed  to  get  and  hold  the  attention  of  the 

Uarmony         ,   ,  ° 

Brings      citizens  of  a  fishing  village. 
^^g  In  like  manner  the  master  salesman  uses 

Salesman    \}^q  trained  writer  of  advertising  copy  and 

and  ,  I'll 

Writer  of    that    particular    medmm    which   has    ac- 

"^^Ste^    knowledged  prestige  with  the  group  to  be 

reached,  to  sweep  away  the  barrier  which 

ignorance,  prejudice,  and  indifference  have  placed 

between  him  and  a  large  market  for  his  wares. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER   V 

The  statistics  quoted  in  this  chapter  and  else- 
where in  this  book,  unless  otherwise  noted,  are  from 
the  "Mahin  Advertising  Book."  This  vest  pocket 
volume  contains  Hsts  of  newspapers,  magazines,  and 
class  papers  with  closing  dates,  circulations  and 
maximum  and  minimum  rates,  also  abridged  data 
on  Painting,  Posting,  and  Street-cars  such  as  a  busy 
man  likes  to  have  constantly  accessible.  It  is  pub- 
lished by  John  Lee  Mahin,  New  York,  at  $2  a  copy, 

The  "American  Newspaper  Annual  and  Direc^ 
tory,"  published  by  N.  W.  Ayer  and  Son,  Phila- 
delphia, at  $5  a  copy  is  a  book  of  1,290  pages  and 
is  the  most  complete  presentation  of  practical  au- 
thoritative advertising  information  available  in  one 
work. 


ADVERTISmG  IS  SELLING  THE  GROUP    49 

"Adventures  in  Common  Sense,"  "Just  Human," 
"Footnotes  to  Life,"  "War  and  World  Government," 
John  Lane  Company,  New  York;  and  "Human  Con- 
fessions," "Lame  and  Lovely,"  "God  and  Democ- 
racy," "Business  in  Kingdom  Come,"  Forbes  and  Co., 
Chicago,  are  books  that  can  be  profitably  read  by 
every  advertising  writer. 

They  are  written  by  Dr.  Frank  Crane  whose  daily 
editorials  in  a  syndicate  of  American  newspapers 
with  over  5,000,000  circulation  prove  that  a  trained 
advertising  writer  can  present  every-day  facts  in  a 
more  interesting  and  plausible  manner  than  one  who 
is  without  special  ability  or  experience  along  this  line. 

For  supplementary  reading,  "The  Crowd"  (The 
Macmillan  Company,  New  York),  by  Gustave  Le 
Bon,  and  "Crowds,"  1913  (Doubleday,  Page  &  Com- 
pany, Garden  City,  N.  Y.),  by  Gerald  Stanley  Lee, 
are  delightfully  interesting.  Both  deal  with  the 
group  spirit  as  exemplified  in  everyday  life.  Le 
Bon  says  that  leaders  form  and  dominate  groups 
by  processes  which  he  calls"  affirmation,  repetition, 
and  contagion." 

H.  L.  Mencken's  "The  Philosophy  of  Friederich 
Nietzsche,"  1913  (Luce  &  Company,  Boston),  is  a 
digest  of  the  great  philosopher's  views.  Nietzsche 
held  that  "Will  to  Power,"  which  is  identical  with 
Schopenhauer's  "Will  to  Live,"  is  the  first  law  of 
Nature.  Nietzsche  championed  individuality,  and 
contrasted  it  unfavorably  with  the  herd  idea  which 
he  condemned  as  being  the  means  whereby  the  un- 


50    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSmiER 

worthy  are  able  to  impose  their  will  upon  their 
superiors.  His  views  are  interesting  because  unusual. 

Maeterlink's  "The  Life  of  the  Bee,"  1912  (Dodd 
Mead  Co.,  New  York),  is  a  model  for  every  ad- 
vertising writer.  It  treats  a  thoroughly  technical 
subject  in  a  completely  informing  manner  and  in  a 
fascinating  style.  The  power  of  the  group  spirit 
expressed  in  the  orderly  and  systematic  activity  of  ap- 
parently unimportant  individuals  to  accomplish 
really  great  tasks  has  never  been  more  graphically 
described. 

Woodrow  Wilson's  "History  of  the  American 
People"  is  a  masterly  presentation  of  the  manner  in 
which  ideas  dominating  the  action  of  many  separate 
groups  of  colonists  have  finally  been  blended  into  a 
national  spirit  which,  in  its  group-cementing  char- 
acter, makes  the  American  nation  what  it  is  to-day. 
(Harper  &  Bros.,  New  York,  5  vols.,  1911.) 

For  keeping  you  alive  to  the  necessity  of  individual 
action  if  you  are  to  dominate  your  group,  for  de- 
veloping individuality  which  will  cooperate  with 
others  and  be  benefited  by  association  with  them 
for  making  it  possible  for  you  to  share  the  benefits 
of  cooperation,  I  recommend  the  essays  of  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson.  He  is  the  fountainhead  of  "ginger 
talks'*  and  optimism,  of  plans  for  meeting  conditions 
as  they  are  and  making  the  best  of  them. 


CHAPTER  VI 

WHAT  THE  MANUFACTURER  OWES  THE  CONSUMER 

THERE  are  consumers  who  are  not  producers, 
but  every  producer  is  a  consumer.  We  can- 
not escape  being  consumers.  We  must  accept 
the  benefits  which  the  industry  of  men  has  provided 
for  us. 

The  reader  of  any  newspaper  is  a  typical  consumer. 

A  copy  of  a  newspaper  is  waste  paper  as  soon  as  it 

Every  One  Is  ^as  fulfilled  its  missiou  of  telling  the  con- 

a  Con-      jsumer  the  many  things  he  wants  to  know. 

svmer  and  rr\     ^  •  i  p         i 

Should  Be  To  be  sure,  the  penny  paid  for  the  paper 
ucer  ^^  week  days  and  5  cents  on  Sundays, 
plus  the  time  devoted  to  reading  its  interesting  pages, 
could  be  saved — if  we  believed  in  that  kind  of 
economy.  If  we  were  to  apply  literally  the  theories 
of  many  political  economists  we  would  not  be  justi- 
fied in  reading  a  newspaper  for  the  pleasure  of  know- 
ing about  what  is  going  on  in  the  world;  they  claim 
that  it  is  wasteful  to  read  except  for  the  attainment 
of  some  definite,  useful  purpose. 

The  newspaper  is  a  perfect  illustration  of  the 
modern  idea  of  justifiable  commerce.  It  deals  in 
satisfactions.     The  fulfilment  of  a  desire  which  can 

51 


•52    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

be  gratified  without  harm  to  its  possessor  or  to  his 
neighbor  is  the  basis  of  a  commercial  activity  in 
which  any  man  may  honorably  engage. 

A  few  moments'  consideration  of  the  desires 
gratified  each  morning  by  the  newspaper,  demon- 
strates how  complex,  intricate,  and  varying 
M  ^Awi^  ^^^  *^®  wants  of  human  beings.  To  make 
paper  Pub-  his  newspaper  a  success  the  publisher  has 
Exemplary  to  be  Constantly  cognizant  of  all  the  forces 
Manufac-     -^hich  stimulate  desire,  change  beliefs  and 

turer  ,  .     7  . 

customs  and  increase  or  diminish  the  pur- 
chasing power  of  the  consuming  unit.  He  must 
accurately  appraise  conditions  and  conform  to  ten- 
dencies. Yet,  if  he  fails  to  accept  the  responsibility 
of  taking  the  initiative  and  assuming  an  authoritative 
stand  wherever  the  consumer  will  profit  by  it,  he 
will  not  be  faithful  to  his  own  best  interests. 

Primarily  the  publisher  is  a  manufacturer.  Also, 
he  is  a  middleman,  a  salesman,  and  a  distributor. 
His  raw  materials  are  paper,  ink,  and  labor.  His 
finished  product  is  the  issue  of  the  paper,  many  times 
duplicated,  which  he  produces  every  day.  His  mis- 
sion as  a  publisher  is  not  fulfilled  until  he  has  put  a 
AC  vlet  ^^Py  ^^  ^^^  paper  into  the  hands  of  every 
Plan  of  man  and  woman  who  would  appreciate  it. 
Q^*^"  He  has  to  see  that  the  mail  trains  are 
Distribution  f uHy  utifized  and  he  must  conform  to  the 

Essential      ,.     .        .  .  .  _-. 

limitations  governing  them.  His  carriers 
have  to  be  organized  and  disciplined  and  their  work 
must  be  supervised,  just  as  is  that  of  an  army  corps. 


WHAT  MANUFACTURER  OWES  CONSmiER  53 

Newsstands  at  the  big  hotels  and  depots  and  many 
minor  but  absolutely  necessary  outlets  for  his  product 
must  be  reckoned  with  and  adequately  and  persist- 
ently followed,  in  order  to  complete  the  task  which 
he  has  undertaken. 

If  your  newsdealer  sells  out  his  stock  so  that  you 
cannot  have  your  paper  when  you  ask  for  it,  the 
publisher  wants  to  know  it.  If  the  carrier  sub- 
stitutes another  paper,  you  do  the  pubHsher  a  favor 
by  telHng  him  about  it,  so  that  he  can  investigate. 
He  does  not  personally  deliver  the  paper  to  its 
readers,  but  not  in  the  least  particular  does  he  avoid 
personal  responsibility  for  knowing  that  all  the 
organized  channels  of  distribution  are  open  and 
working  smoothly,  so  that  you  get  your  paper  when, 
where,  and  how  you  want  it. 

Not  until  the  consumer  has  bought,  paid  for,  and 
used  merchandise  and  is  ready  to  buy  again  or  to 
What  the    recommend  it  to  a  friend  has  the  manu- 
rr*fc"T    ^^^^^^^^  completed  his   work.     He  must 
aMerchan-  rcahzc  that  HO  matter  what  price  he  gets 
dtnng  Factor  ^^  j^^  factory,  the  cousumer  must  pay  the 
cost  of  distribution.     If,  by  reason  of  ignorance  or 
indifference,  the  manufacturer  fails  to  see  to  it  that 
his   products   are   distributed   to   the   consumer   in 
the  best  manner  which  can  be  devised  his  business 
will  be  taken  away  from  him  by  a  more  eflScient 
competitor.     It  is  not  necessary  for  the  manufac- 
turer to  distribute  his  merchandise  to  the  consumer 
in  order  to  fulfil  this  responsibiUty,  but  it  is  his 


54    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

imperative  duty  to  know  how  his  products  reach 
the  consumer  and  to  know  what  the  consumer  thinks 
of  them,  both  before  and  after  he  has  used  them. 

Modern  merchandising  recognizes  that  what  the 
consumer  thinks  of  a  product  is  the  most  important 
factor  in  determining  its  value  and  the  only  basis 
on  which  a  business  which  depends  upon  repeated 
sales  to  the  same  people  can  be  built.  Modern 
merchandising  avoids  the  extremes  of  making  goods 
(1)  according  to  the  manufacturer's  notion  as  to 
how^they  ought  to  be  made,  and  (2)  of  attempt- 
ing to  follow  too  closely  the  public's  whims  and 
fancies. 

Organized  salesmanship,  which  is  modern  adver- 
tising,  has  proved   that   consumer  groups   can  be 
organized  and  kept  in  a  constantly  favor- 
Groups     able  mental  attitude  toward  merchandise 
Or^tdzed    ^^^^^  ^^  identified  by  a  trademark.     One 
of  the  popular  fallacies  is  that  the  essence 
of  a  trademark  is  an  arbitrary  symbol  or  a  clever 
name,  or  a  catchy  slogan.     It  is  not.     A  trademark 
is   an   anchor  for   creative   sales   work.     Its   value 
is  as  great  as  its  ability  to  remind  the  consumer  of 
all  the  favorable  things  he  has  read,  heard,  and  ex- 
perienced in  connection  with  it. 

The  commercial  value  of  a  trademark  increases 
with  each  individual  addition  to  the  group  of  people 
who  believe  that  this  mark  of  identification  will  be 
affixed  only  to  articles  which  possess  certain  de- 
sirable qualities.     Its  value  is  also  enhanced  in  direct 


WHAT  MANUFACTURER  OWES  CONSUMER  55 

proportion  to  the  intensity  of  the  confidence  of  its 
consuming  group. 

The    manufacturer's    responsibility    for   knowing 

what  people  think  about  what  he  makes  and  for 

inspiring  and  controlling  a  favorable  men- 

Manufac-    tal  attitude  in  any  who  may  have  been 

Camot     indifferent  includes   a  recognition  of  the 

Escape     cousumcr's    prejudices.     What   he    might 

Merchan-  i»    n       .  r 

didng      Say  successfully  to  one  person  or  group  of 
^M^^'    persons  might  be  just  the  wrong  thing  to 
say  to  another  group. 
Let  us  assume  that  a  razor  made  so  well  that  it 
could  not  be  improved  upon  were  offered  for  sale 
in  Germany.     We  are  assuming  not  that 
iiuper^rity    ^^  posscsscs  the  Same  merit  as  competitive 
uf  no  Value    articles  but  that  it  is  superior.      Superior- 
Manufac-    ity   IS   uot   cnough.     Doubt  is   a  human 
Cormtmer     characteristic.     Superiority  is  always  ques- 
tioned.    People  capable  of  appreciating  it 
must  be  informed  about  it.     In  Germany  the  indorse- 
ment of  the  Kaiser  would  be  the  strongest,  most 
far-reaching  and  convincing  manner  in  which  the 
superlative  quaHty  of  the  razor  could  be  expressed 
to  the  consumer.     We  could  not  choose  a  worse 
appeal  in  offering  this  same  razor  to  the  prospective 
purchaser  in  England  or  France,  although  the  men 
of  both  these  countries  would  surely  want  to  know 
about  and  would  gladly  pay  for  a  superior  razor. 
The  story  of  the  razor's  merit  would  have  to  be 
presented  in  one  way  in  England  and  in  another 


5G    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

way  in  France  if  we  wished  to  merchandise  it  ef- 
fectively. 

Since  there  is  so  great  variation  in  occupation, 
earning  power,  cHmate,  and  taste,  how  is  the  manu- 
facturer to  know  (1)  what  the  consumer  can  be  per- 
suaded to  desire,  and  (2)  what  the  portion  of  the  con- 
suming pubhc  which  he  would  be  able  to  supply 
ought  to  be  told  about  what  he  makes? 

Modern  merchandising  answers  this  question. 
The  same  broad  conception  of  service  which  has 
made  of  the  bookkeeper  an  accountant  who  by  an 
analysis  and  charting  of  the  past  activities  and 
results  of  a  business  can  forecast  its  future  has 
developed  the  merchandising  audit. 

Any  producer  can  have  his  marketing  possibilities 
appraised   and   charted.     He   can   have   a   written 

A  Mer-     ^ecord  made  of  what  has  been  accompHshed 

chandising   by  the  Creative  sales  ability  of  his  own 

Should  Be    Organization  and  by  his  competitors.     He 

Made  by    ^^^j^   know   what   consumers   think  of  his 

Every 

Manufao-  and  of  his  competitors'  goods,  and  to  what 
^^  extent  it  would  be  possible  to  increase 
consumption  in  his  line.  It  is  possible  to  survey 
and  appraise  market  conditions  and,  by  getting  the 
unbiased  opinion  of  a  sufficient  number  of  con- 
sumers, wholesalers,  and  retailers,  to  know  the  condi- 
tion of  the  market  as  a  whole. 

A  plan  for  gathering  and  charting  this  information 
must  be  carefully  worked  out  in  advance.  The 
data  must  be   gathered   by  trained    investigators 


WHAT  ]VL\NUFACTUItER_OWES  CONSUMER   57 

who  seek  not  information  which  will  confirm  pre- 
conceived opinions,  but  the   truth   exactly  as  it  is. 
The  determination  of  such  a  merchandising 
Trust       audit  is  as  safe  a   guide   for   the  manu- 
^Work°to^  facturer  as  is  a  compass  to  the  mariner  or 
Untrained    the  actuarial  table  to  the  insurance  com- 

Men 

panics. 

The  manufacturer  owes  it  to  the  consumer  to 
make  and  distribute  his  product  according  to  meth- 
ods which  insure  the  consumer  the  greatest  pos- 
sible satisfaction.  The  man  who  does  not  accept 
and  fulfil  this  responsibiUty  has  committed  com- 
mercial suicide.  He  is  leaving  an  opening  for  some  one 
who  wiU  rise  to  the  occasion. 

Two  sharp  distinctions  must  be  made  when  we  at- 
tempt to  decide  whether  or  not  an  article  may  be 

How  to     profitably  advertised.     Because  purchased 

Decide  in  large  quantities  and  then  manufactured 
or  Not  an    (i-  ^-j  SO  changed  in  form  that  the  identity 

Article      ^jqJ  knowledge  of  the  source  of  supply  of 

Ma7j  Be  ^  •is  .    ■, 

Profitably    the  compoucnt  parts  is  lost),  raw  materials 

dvertised    (^^nnot  be  advertised  as  profitably,  at  a 

large  outlay,  as  can  articles  of  small  retail  value 

sold  in  packages  and  capable  of  being  used  by  almost 

every  family. 

Raw  materials  are  usually  bought  by  experts  who 
have  explored  the  market  carefully.  All  that  adver- 
tising can  do  here  is  to  teach  how  the  goods  can  be 
utilized  to  the  profit  of  the  purchaser,  thereby  in- 
creasing   the    demand;   or,   by    constantly    demon- 


58    AD VERTISmG— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

strating  the  superior  quality  of  the  merchandise, 
either  get  a  preference,  at  the  same  price,  over  com- 
peting goods,  or  a  sHght  increase  in  profit.  In  selling 
such  goods,  the  names  of  all  possible  customers  are 
known,  and  the  personality  of  competent  salesmen  is 
usually  sufficient  to  thoroughly  merchandize  the  wares 
they  sell. 

There  are  salesmen,  however,  and  people  who  are 
called  salesmen.  The  man  who  directs  a  large  busi- 
ness in  accordance  with  certain  definite  principles 
should  see  to  it  that  his  customers  get  the  benefit  of 
them.  Some  form  of  regular  communication  is 
recommended,  in  the  form  of  printed  matter,  between 
the  moving  spirit  of  an  organization  and  the  cus- 
tomer. The  salesman  should  close  sales;  the  mission- 
ary work  usually  can  be  done  best  with  printers'  ink. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER   VI 

"Practical  Publicity,"  1906  (the  Matthews-North- 
rup  Works,  Buffalo),  by  Truman  A.  DeWeese, 
is  a  "work  for  the  advertiser,  and  is  intended  to  be 
helpful  to  every  man  who  has  anything  to  sell  and 
who  is  ambitious  to  enlarge  the  market  for  his  prod- 
uct," to  put  it  in  the  author's  own  words.  The  book 
is  adequate  and  unusually  readable. 

"The  New  Business,"  by  Harry  Tipper,  treats 
the  business  of  advertising  both  historically  and 
practically  from  the  standpoint  of  an  engineer  who 
has  been  signally  successful  as  an  advertising  man- 
ager.   It  is  published  at  $2  by  Doubleday,  Page  & 


WHAT  MANUFACTURER  OWES  CONSUMER   59 

Co.  for  the  Associated  Advertising  Clubs  of  the 
World. 

[Note — One  of  my  friends  was  kind  enough  to 
say  that  Professor  Cherington's  book  covering 
advertising  from  the  standpoint  of  the  trained  ob- 
server, Mr.  Tipper's  taking  it  up  in  an  analytical 
manner  characteristic  of  the  scientifically  trained 
engineer,  and  this  book  of  mine  expressing  the  views 
of  the  man  whose  whole  training  has  been  in  the 
practical  work  of  every-day  advertising  procedure, 
gave  the  student  the  three  diflFerent  viewpoints  that 
would  give  him  the  largest  grasp  of  the  subject 
with  the  minimum  of  time  on  his  own  part. — ^J.  L.  M.] 


CHAPTER  VII 

WHAT  THE  CONSUMER  OWES  THE  MANUFACTURER 

NOWADAYS  everybody  believes  in  cooper- 
ation and  realizes  how  manifold  are  its  bene- 
fits. Cooperation  takes  place  within  a 
group  of  persons  who  are  like-minded  in  some 
particular;  their  like-mindedness  makes  them  a  group. 
Every  group  has  a  leader. 

Each  one  of  us  is  a  member  of  many  groups. 
Membership  should  be  voluntary.  It  usually 
is.  We  are  often  not  aware  that  we  are  entering, 
are  dominated  by  the  aim  of,  or  are  leaving  a 
group. 

Chicago's    State    street    department    stores    are 

what  they  are  to-day  because  behind  each  one  stands 

a  group  of  people  who  prefer  its  merchan- 

oja^^p   disc  and  service  to  any  other.     The  in- 

Creaies      dividuals  who  make  up  the  group  of  a 

tains  Every  Chicago  department  store  live  in  and  out- 

„  ^i^        side  of  Chicago.     They  are  scattered  over 

Business  ,  ,  °  '' 

a  wide  territory.  But  they  are  held  to- 
gether by  that  which  they  have  in  common — a  pref- 
erence for  the  manner  and  materials  with  which 
their  wants  are  satisfied  at  this  particular  store. 

60 


WHAT  CONSUMER  OWES  MANUFACTURER  61 

Cooperation  in  groups  is  of  great  advantage  to 
each  of  us.  Because  the  cost  of  production  and  dis- 
tribution is  shared  by  all  the  members  of  the  group, 
the  cost  to  the  individual  becomes  so  small  that  he 
can  have  many  comforts  which  he  would  otherwise 
have  to  do  without.  Twenty-hour  trains  between 
Chicago  and  New  York  are  the  last  word  in  luxurious 
travel.  By  cooperating  with  his  fellow- travelers  in 
bearing  the  expense  of  the  trip,  each  passenger 
procures  for  himself  the  maximum  of  comfort  and 
luxury.  No  individual,  no  group  as  small  as  Chi- 
cago's 100  richest  men,  could  afford  to  buy  such  service 
as  the  readers  of  a  big  metropolitan  newspaper,  at  an 
expense  of  only  one  cent,  enjoy  daily  at  their  break- 
fast table.  By  means  of  expert  correspondents  and 
the  cable,  the  telephone  and  the  telegraph  Hnes, 
the  newspapers  gather  news  of  the  important 
activities  of  the  whole  world  each  day. 
Newspaper   Competent  men  present  this  information 

Has  In-    in    attractive,    easily    understood    form. 
Purchasing  The  vast  cxpeusc  of  all  this  work  is  ab- 

^P^^  sorbed  in  the  cost  of  producing  the  news- 
paper. 
No  one  of  these  expense  items  could  be  eliminated 
if  only  one  copy  were  printed.  The  fact  that  many 
thousands  of  people  cooperate  in  buying  this  service, 
plus  the  fact  that  advertisers  materially  lower  the 
publisher's  cost  of  production  gives  to  a  single  penny 
a  purchasing  power  which  would  have  been  consid- 
ered incredible  a  hundred  years  ago. 


62    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Our  positive  needs  are  few.  We  might  feed, 
clothe,  and  shelter  ourselves  with  what  we  could  buy 

Modem  with  only  a  small  portion  of  our  present 
Merchm.-    Hying    expeusc.     Modern    merchandising 

Reduced  has  uot  increased  the  cost  of  needs;  it  has 
"^^  reduced  it,  measured  in  terms  of  our  earn- 
ing power.  But  it  has  multiplied  our  wants  and  has 
made  us  think  that  many  of  them  are  needs. 

If  we  were  to  grant  that  we  should  not  have  wants, 
that  none  of  us  is  entitled  to  the  satisfaction  of  any- 
thing but  actual  needs,  we  should  have  to  call  ad- 
vertising a  tax.  Because  it  does  increase  the  number 
of  our  wants.  It  increases  our  capacity  to  enjoy 
these  wants.  It  increases  our  power  to  understand 
and  comprehend  the  pleasure  of  the  good  things  of  Hfe. 

Present-day  merchandising  methods  are  based 
upon  the  beUef  that  we  accomplish  more  by  acting 
aggressively,  and  that  we  get  more  by  acting  re- 
ceptively, by  acting  through  group  consciousness. 
By  "group  consciousness"  I  mean  that  something 
inherent  in  each  of  us  which  makes  us  want  to 
associate  with  our  f ellowmen,  which  makes  us  like  to 
be  with  people  who  think  and  act  as  we  think  and  act. 

The  manufacturer  who  reduces  his  price  to  meet 
competition  is  not  furthering  the  best  interests  of 

When  a     the    Consumer.     The    manufacturer    who 

Manufao-  i       .  i  i  •     i        •  i_  i 

turer       secks  to  enlarge  his  business  by  an  appeal 
Gains  By    ^  ^j^g  group   consciousness   of   the   con- 

tieattcing  o        x- 

Prices  sumer  deserves  the  consumer  s  coopera- 
tion.   He  is  using  the  method  which  gives  most  to 


WHAT  CONSUIVIER  OWES  MANUFACTURER  63 

the  consumer.  Before  he  fixes  his  price  such  a  man 
has  had  his  field  thoroughly  and  comprehensively 
analyzed,  so  that  his  plan  of  production  and  dis- 
tribution can  be  worked  out  in  the  light  of  know- 
ledge of  actual  conditions.  Then  he  names  a 
price  which  insures  complete  service  to  the  con- 
sumer. 

If  such  a  manufacturer  reduces  his  price  because 

competition  forces  him  to  do  so,  the  consumer  must 

get   depreciated    quality.     If   he   reduces 

^jner^'  his  pricc  in  order  to  bring  his  product 
ShmddNot  within  the  buying  power  of  a  larger  con- 

Sure  cf  suming  group  and  thus  increases  his  vol- 
^^^^^  ume,  he  makes  possible  internal  econ- 
omies which  confer  upon  the  consumer 
greater  benefit  than  he  can  obtain  in  any  other 
way. 

The  consumer  ought  to  give  preference  to  the 
manufacturer  who  seeks  the  largest  possible  market. 
Such  a  man  is  committed  to  the  policy  of  per- 
petuating his  business  prestige  in  the  market  by 
giving  better  service  than  his  competitors  can 
give. 

The  consumer  should  remember  that  when  stand- 
ard articles  are  offered  at  less  than  their  regular 
price  a  carefully  developed  merchandising  plan  is 
being  interfered  with.  It's  a  doubtful  economy  to 
spend  10  cents  for  car  fare  and  two  hours*  time  in 
getting  for  15  cents  at  a  downtown  store  an  article 
which  can  be  bought  at  the  comer  grocCTy  or  drug 


64    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

store  for  25  cents.  When  these  price  cuts  are  made 
the  merchant  is  obliged  to  offset  his  loss  by  selling 
other  merchandise  at  a  price  which  more  than  makes 
up  the  difference. 

The  merchandise  on  which  the  dealer  elects  to  make 

up  does  not  usually  bear  the  name  of  a  manufacturer, 

and  seldom  possesses  the  qualities  which 

S^MAp-   Jiispire   and   retain   confidence   and   yield 

E^"¥     satisfaction.     The    consumer    should    not 

Advertiser    hesitate  in  choosing  between  an  advertised 

Educaim     ^^^  ^^  unadvertised  article  of  equal  price 

and  apparently  equal  merit. 

Advertising  has  developed  our  producing  and 
distributing  machinery.  It  has  given  us,  in  our  spare 
time,  education  and  information,  the  value  of  which 
cannot  be  estimated.  The  merchandiser  who  ad- 
vertises is  doing  business  on  the  soundest  and  most 
scientific  basis.  The  consumer  who  cooperates 
with  him  is  throwing  the  weight  of  his  or  her  influ- 
ence where  it  wiU  count  for  most  for  the  common 
good. 

I  am  not  saying  that  all  advertisers  deserve  prefer- 
ence and  the  cooperation  of  consumers.  Much  ad- 
vertising is  still  unscientifically  done.  Some  of  it 
is  a  positive  waste  and  harm.  But  the  latter  bears 
the  earmarks  of  inefliciency  and  is  usually  short-lived. 
The  best  publications  are  excluding  the  unworthy 
advertiser.  The  federal  trade  commission  is  recog- 
nizing that  dishonest  advertising  is  an  economic 
waste. 


WHAT  CONSUMER  OWES  MANUFACTURER  65 

The  fact  that  advertising  is  made  use  of  by  the 

unscrupulous  is  an  added  reason  why  the  consumer 

> J    ..        should  give  his  or  her  hearty  cooperation 

Advertisers  "  _  .  . 

Usually     to  the  advertiser  who  has  estabhshed  his 

integrity  beyond  question.     To  doubt  all 

advertisers  because  there  have  been  and  are  imposters 

would  be  as  foohsh  as  to  refuse  to  accept  a  $10  bill 

because  people  do  occasionally  get  a  counterfeit. 

Sometimes  a  local  dealer  recommends  to  the  con- 
sumer an  unknown  competitor  of  a  well-known, 
nationally  advertised  article  which  she  has  been 
using  and  which  has  won  her  confidence.  The  dealer 
can  have  only  one  motive  in  pushing  an  unknown 
against  a  known  article — he  thinks  he  will  make 
more  money  by  doing  so.  In  this  assumption  he  is 
often  mistaken. 

Students  of  business  agree  that  a  rapid  turnover 

with  a  small  margin  makes  more  money  for  the 

dealer  than  large  profits  and  slower  sales. 

advertised    Wcll-advcrtised  goods  of  recognized  merit 

U^maUy  ^^ve  rapidly.  The  best  dealers  know  it 
the  Most  and  concentrate  on  them.  Thereby  sav- 
ing in  rent  and  clerk  hire,  and  by  having 
their  merchandise  move  rapidly. 

The  manufacturer  who  puts  his  name  on  his 
product  must  have  a  greater  sense  of  responsibility 
for  them  than  does  the  man  who  does  not  identify 
his  wares.  Every  phase  of  this  responsibility  de- 
velops increased  value  and  service  to  the  con- 
sumer. 


66    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

There  are  merchants  who  assume  many  of  the 

functions   of   the   manufacturer,   by   having   goods 

y^^        produced  according  to  their  specifications 

Merchants   and  then  bacldng  them  with  their  own 

Usurp  the    name.     But  most  dealers  buy  from  com- 

Manufac-    mercial  men  or  jobbers  who  are  not  famil- 

turer  a        ,  , 

Functions  iar  with  the  conditions  under  which  the 
^^  ^^  merchandise  was  produced. 
It  is  decidedly  to  the  consumer's  advantage  to 
favor,  and  to  back  his  preference  by  buying,  only 
goods  merchandised  by  a  method  which  places 
responsibility  for  every  factor  of  production  and 
distribution  exactly  where  it  belongs. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  TOOLS  OF   ADVERTISING 

MANY  books  have  been  written  about  the  tech- 
nique of  advertising  as  a  trade, .  They  deal 
with  type  faces,  sticks,  and  rules,  plumbago, 
and  electric  baths,  copper  and  zinc  plates,  acid 
baths,  matrices,  ink-rollers,  and  presses,  paste-pots 
and  scissors,  paint  cans  and  brushes,  wires  and 
batteries;  for  these  are  the  tools  of  the  typesetter, 
the  electrotyper,  the  artist,  the  engraver,  the  stereo- 
typer,  the  pressman,  the  writer  and  editor,  the  sign 
painter,  the  billposter,  and  the  electric-sign  man. 
But  I  shall  not  attempt  to  explain  those  trades, 
either  technically  or  mechanically.  A  man  who 
would  master  any  one  of  them  should  study  all  the 
literature  available  on  the  subject  and  serve  a  rea- 
sonable period  of  apprenticeship. 

As  an  advertiser,  an  advertising  manager,  an  ad- 
vertising solicitor,  or  as  a  writer  of  advertising  copy, 
he  will  do  better  to  cooperate  with  men  who  specialize 
in  the  various  phases  of  advertising,  instead  of  at- 
tempting to  oversee  the  details  of  work  which  must 
be  well  done  from  a  technical  standpoint,  if  he  is  to 
get  the  best  results. 

67 


68    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

A  few  thoughts  are  pertinent  here,  however,  which 
cannot  be  too  frequently  emphasized. 

Illustrations  are  always  desirable  if  they  tell  the 

story  in  less  space  than  words  could  do  it,  for  they 

Successful    have  a  wider  range  of  appeal  and  do  not 

lUustra-     need  to  be  translated  from  one  language 

tions  Must     ,  <9      o 

Tell  the  into  another. 
Less^S'pace  ^o  give  a  Commercial  artist  free  rein  in 
Than  Words  the  matter  of  illustration  is  a  mistake.  He 
should  be  used  primarily  as  an  artisan,  to  put  into 
concrete  form  the  ideas  which  the  advertiser  wishes 
Ideas  That  to  project  into  the  consciousness  of  the 
the^u^'na  ^^^P*  There  are  very  few  artists  whose 
Group  Must  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  buying  groups 
Given  to  ^  is  such  that  they  can  really  contribute  any- 
the  Artist  thing  to  the  idea  which  is  to  go  into  the 
advertisement.  Not  many  of  them  are  good  judges 
of  relative  commercial  values. 

Where  arbitrary  spaces  are  to  be  filled  with  com- 
binations of  illustration  and  text  matter,  it  is  quite 
Mechanical  essential   that   just  the  right  proportion, 
limitations  and  uo  morc,  be  allotted  to  the  drawing. 
Never  Be    Fortunately  for  the  advertising  man  (who 
Overlooked   jg  ^^^  ^^  artist),  Commercial  artists  can 
be  referred,  for  master  work  of  this  kind,  to  many  of 
the  splendid  frescoes  of  Raphael  and  Michael  Angelo, 
who  filled  in  arbitrary  spaces  as  if  they  had  been 
specially  made  for  the  pictures  they  placed  therein. 
A  commercial  artist  who  can  get  around  and  over 
the  obstacles  which  rise  on  every  hand  in  reaching 


THE  TOOLS  OF  ADVERTISING  69 

the  group  is  a  rare  one  indeed  and  well  worth  the 
almost  fabulous  sums  which  he  can  command  for 
his  services. 

Words,  at  best,  are  but  symbols  of  ideas.     Their 
value  depends  entirely  upon  the  stage  of  develop- 
ment of  the  group  spirit.     Unless  a  large 
Words^to    group  had  been  taught  that  an  arbitrary 
Sd^      assemblage  of  certain  letters  of  the  alphabet 
transmits  from  one  mind  to  another  the 
idea  which  has  previously  been  associated  with  this 
word,    communication    through    the    printed    page 
would  be  impossible.     For  a  foundation,  then,  we 
must  have  the  group  spirit.     And  the  idea  associated 
with  any  certain  word  must,  as  far  as  is  possible,  be 
kept  the  same. 

In  advertising  in  the  United  States,  it  is  always 
best  to  use  Anglo-Saxon  words,  because  more  people 
Keev  the     understand  them  than  those  which  are  of 
Words      Latin,  Greek,  or  other  derivation.     Writers 
of  effective  advertising  copy  never  cultivate 
what  is  called  "style."     They  use  words  only  to 
transmit  an  idea  effectively,  without  diverting  atten- 
tion from  the  message  itself.     That  is  why  pretty 
pictures  and  high-flown  phrases  often  defeat  the 

purposes  of  the  advertiser; 

Successful        Type,  while  wholly  mechanical,  permits 

Use  of     of   great   variety   of   effects    if   skillfully 

handled.     Many    advertising    men    make 

accurate  layouts  specifying  the  sizes  and  faces  of 

type  they  wish  used.    This  can  be  done  quite  easily 


70    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

by  remembering  tbat  all  type  is  now  made  accord- 
ing to  the  point  system,  i.  e.,  seventy-two  points  to 
an  inch.  Twelve-point  type  is  exactly  one-sixth  of 
an  inch  in  depth.  Most  newspaper  columns  are 
two  and  one-sixth  inches  wide. 

In  making  layouts  for  advertising,  the  best  plan 

is  to  indicate  roughly  all  words  and  phrases  which 

are  to  be  displayed  prominently,  leaving  to 

Master  the  good  judgment  of  a  thoroughly  skillful 
^Work^^  and  experienced  superintendent  of  the 
Details  of  typesetting  room  the  selection  of  the  best 
""^^  compositor  for  the  particular  work  in 
hand.  It  is  manifestly  wiser  for  the  man  who  can- 
not get  such  cooperation  to  make  an  accurate  lay- 
out. This  is  merely  a  matter  of  careful  measure- 
ment and  correct  arithmetic. 

It  is  possible  for  a  man  versed  in  the  legibility 
of  type  faces  to  reset  an  advertisement  which  has 

„  .,,.       a  crowded  and  confused  look  (and  is  there- 

Bmldmg  i  i  •      \     . 

anAdver-    tore  repellent  rather  than  attractive)   m 
IM^nedto    f^om  10  to  25  per  cent,  less  space,  and  still 
BuMing  a   have  the  advertisement  appear  larger  than 
before.     The  architect  who  builds  an  apart- 
ment on  a  twenty-foot  city  lot,  when  compared  with 
the  old-time  carpenter-contractor  who  "saved  you 
money  by  drawing  the  plans  himself,"  is  an  illustra- 
tion of  my  point.     When  advertising  space  costs  as 
much  as  $112  an  inch,  the  economy  of  employing  the 
most  skillful  manipulator  of  type  faces  is  at  once 
apparent. 


THE  TOOLS  OF  ADVERTISING  71 

Type  faces  stand  very  little  wear.     It  is  practicable 

to  print  direct  from  them  only  on  small  press  runs. 

Eow  Type  None  of  the  larger  daily  newspapers  print 

la  Used    direct   from   type.     Their   big   perfecting 

in  Print-  .  , .  n         * 

ingaNews-  presscs  require  contmuous  rolls  of  paper 
^^'P^  and  cylindrical  printing  plates,  which  are 
made  as  follows:  type  set  up  the  size  of  the  page 
is  locked  in  a  form;  alternate  sheets  of  tissue  and 
blotting  paper,  with  paste  between  each,  are  spread 
over  it;  and  it  is  subjected  to  pressure  at  great 
heat.  This  dries  the  paper  impression,  which  is 
called  a  matrix.  The  matrix  is  put  in  the  bottom  of  a 
semicircular  mold,  and  type  metal  is  poured  over  it. 
In  a  few  seconds  the  metal  hardens,  is  taken  out 
of  the  mold,  and  clamped  on  the  cylinders  of  the 
printing  presses,  which  turn  out  papers  at  the  rate 
of  20,000  or  more  per  hour  per  press.  The  heat  nec- 
essary to  make  a  matrix  injures  the  type  by  ex- 
panding it.  So  those  who  advertise  in  a  large  way 
in  many  publications  and  want  the  best  effects  insist 
on  having  electrotypes. 

The  printing  of  books,  magazines,  and  catalogues 

is    quite    different.     Flat-bed    presses    are    used. 

Usually  the  whole  type  page  is  electro- 

/*  '^sed  in  typed.     To  make  an  electrotype,  a  wax 

Printing  a   qj.  \qq^^  impressiou  is  taken  of  the  page. 

Magazine  ^  .      i       i  i    -n 

which  may  contain  both  type  and  illus- 
tration. This  impression  is  dusted  with  plumbago, 
and  put  in  a  bath.  An  electric  battery  deposits  a 
thin  sheet  of  copper  on  the  face  of  it.     A  good 


72    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

electrotype  requires  a  bath  of  from  four  to  six  hours. 
This  copper  shell  is  backed  up  with  stereotyping 
metal  and  a  printing  plate  made  of  it.  A  poor 
electrotype  generally  has  too  thin  a  shell,  which  will 
not  stand  a  long  run,  and  is  easily  damaged. 

Drawings  are  changed  into  printing  plates  either 
by  the  zinc  etching  or  the  half-tone  process.  Wood 
y^g  engravings  are  practically  obsolete.  Half- 
MaUng  of  tones  and  zinc  etchings  can  be  electrotyped, 
but  with  half-tones  it  is  often  better  to  use 
the  original  plate  and  duplicates  of  the  same.  An 
electrotype  of  a  zinc  etching  will  generally  stand  up 
better  under  a  long  press  run  than  an  original  zinc. 
An  electrotype  can  be  re-electrotyped  indefinitely, 
but  each  reproduction  sacrifices  something  in  print- 
ing quahty.  Men  who  are  familiar  with  this  fact 
can  easily  pick  out  a  cheap  electrotype  or  a  repro- 
duction from  an  electrotype.  It  shows  up  in  the 
finished  result,  and  is  one  of  those  savings  which 
should  not  be  countenanced. 

Nothing  will  demonstrate  to  the  average  adver- 
tiser the  fact  that  the  best  engraving  and  plate 
making  house  is  none  too  good  for  his  pur- 
Engravings  pose,  and  that  uo  moucy  is  saved  by  getting 
Ewnam  *^^^^P  work  SO  Well  as  a  trip  through  a  well 
conducted  shop,  where  he  can  see  for 
himself  how  many  processes  there  are  where  the 
least  lack  of  knowledge,  or  of  attention,  would  affect 
the  finished  result. 

Printing  plates  and  types  are  used  in  advertising 


THE  TOOLS  OF  ADVERTISING  73 

in  two  ways:  (1)  in  space  in  newspapers,  magazines, 
or  class  publications,  such  as  trade,  agricultural, 
and  technical  papers,  street-car  cards,  and  posters, 
and  (2)  in  specially  printed  matter,  such  as  circulars, 
booklets,  catalogues,  and  follow-up  material. 

The  blank  space  upon  which  printing  is  done  may 

well  be  called  one  of  the  tools  of  trade.     In  con- 

„  , .     ,     sidering  how  to  get  the  best  results,  one 

Making  the  u       xr        •  £  xi,  M 

Most  of  must  remember  the  size  of  the  space  avail- 
^'^Sp^e"^  able,  the  quality  of  paper,  and  the  general 
appearance  of  the  advertisements  which 
will  compete  with  it  for  attention,  so  that  distinc- 
tion may  be  secured  either  by  emphasis  or  con- 
trast. 

Space  buying  should  be  delegated  to  a  man  who 
has  had  years  of  experience  in  that  work.     You  can 

Space      be  sure,  when  a  publisher's  rate-card  shows 

Buying      r^  complicated  list  of  discounts,  that  there 

a  Job        ,  \    ,  ' 

for  a      IS  a  mmimum  rate,  and  always  a  way  by 
Long       which  the  trained  buyer,  who  knows  how 
Experience    iq  present  his  proposition,  can  get  an  ap- 
proximation of  it. 

In  buying  space,  plates,  art  work,  or  printing,  three 
things  should  be  considered:  (1)  the  cost  of  raw 
materials  which  will  produce  the  right  quality;  (2) 
cost  of  supervision  required  to  get  the  best  results 
with  the  materials  and  the  machinery  used;  and 
(3)  the  cost  of  expert  help,  getting  the  benefit  of  the 
experience  of  men  who  have  made  a  life  study  of 
that  particular  kind  of   work.     Their   cooperation 


74    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

is  valuable  and  is  not  always  included  in  the  service 
offered  you  by  the  lowest  bidder. 

A  printer  who  will  cooperate  with  you  in  a  sym- 
pathetic   and    intelligent    way,    understanding    the 

How  to     purpose  of  your  printed  matter,  will  save 

Get  Good  you  many  times  the  differences  between 
nnm  j^^  higher  price  and  that  of  the  cheap 
printer  who  seeks  your  patronage  through  competi- 
tive bids.  If  you  will  frankly  state  to  a  competent 
and  trustworthy  printer  the  outside  figure  you  can 
spend  for  a  specific  piece  of  printed  matter,  he  can 
save  you  money  in  many  ways. 

For  example,  presses  and  paper  of  certain  sizes 
work  best  together.  The  big  item  in  printing  is 
the  press  work  and  paper.  With  rapidly  moving 
presses,  unless  the  distribution  of  the  ink  and  the 
handling  of  wet  sheets,  after  they  are  printed, 
is  carefully  watched,  the  result  will  be  unsatisfac- 
tory. 

Sometimes  a  catalogue  just  exceeds  the  postage 
limit  and  has  to  have  an  extra  stamp  on  it.     A 

,  printer  who  is  accustomed  to  working  with 

Before  the  advertiser  would  have  foreseen  this, 
Jn^rder^  and  would  first  have  made  a  dummy,  on 
ing  Printed  specially  sclcctcd  paper,  so  that  the  full 
amount  which  Uncle  Sam  will  carry  for 
a  specified  sum  would  go  into  the  book  itself.  The 
few  cents  needed  for  a  better  quality  of  paper,  which 
weighs  less,  would  mean  a  large  saving. 

If  a  postage  expert  should  make  a  careful  analysis 


THE  TOOLS  OF  ADVERTISING  75 

of  the  amount  of  money  spent  for  postage  during 

the  year  by  some  of  the  large  and  some  of  the  small 

_,,         commercial  houses,  no  doubt  millions  of 

The 

Postage-     dollars'  worth  of  waste  would  be  discovered. 

^^pert  /    The  postage  expert  is  an  unheard-of  factor 

Coming     jn  business  as  yet,  but  the  future  holds  out 

Professum  ,       j.,  .     p  i  e       ' 

splendid  prospects  tor  such  a  profession. 
Much  might  be  said  about  various  qualities  of 
paper  stock  and  printing  inks,  and  about  the  rules  for 
Paper      contrasting  and  combining  colors.     Whole 
^^ntim     b<^^^  ^^^^  comprehensively  with  these  sub- 
Inks       jects.   Trade  papers  are  continually  publish- 
ing elaborate  treatisesonpaperstock  andcolorprin  ting. 
Just  in  this  wealth  of  information  and  argument 
lies  a  danger  for  the  advertiser.     He  may  be  led  off 
into   the   by-paths  of  advertising  procedure,   into 
investigations  and  discussions  which  may  be  pleasur- 
able and  interesting,  but  which  have  little  to  do  with 
effective  merchandising  and  distribution. 

The  general  rule  for  the  use  of  words  applies  also  to 
paper  stock  and  colors:  the  consumer's  attention 
must  be  gained,  but  without  his  being  so 
Pa^      fully  taken  up  with  the  manner  of  expres- 
^7^1  ^hf    ^^^^  ihat  the  advertiser's  story  is  minimized 
This  Test    OF  lost.     This  is  the  danger  in  using  strik- 
Em^hlMe  ^°S  effects.    There  is  fierce  competition 
lueif      for  the  advertiser's  money,  and  in  making 
Story      any  decision  he  should  keep  this  test  upper- 
most: Is  this  the  tool  which  will  most 
adequately  interpret  my  thought? 


76    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Brains  and  common  sense  in  seeking  the  reason  for 
Oreatest  the  Tule  instead  of  following  the  letter  of 
.y  ^^      the  law,  might  be  listed  as  tools  of  ad- 

Advertiatng  .   .  , 

Tools  Are    vertising.     They  are  as  essential  to  sat- 

Braina  and  •  t      .  j       _x'   •  •  xi 

Common     isfactory  advertismg  service  as  they  are 
Sense       \jq  any  other  kind  of  service — no  more  and 
no  less. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER   VIII 

Tlie  newest  and  most  effective  tools  of  advertising 
are  graphically  and  intelligently  described  in  the 
printing-trade  papers:  The  American  Printer  (New 
York),  The  Printing  Art  (Cambridge,  Mass.),  and 
the  Inland  Printer  (Chicago) . 

* 'Making  Type  Work,"  published  by  the  Century 
Co.,  (1916)  is  the  title  of  a  most  interesting  book  by 
Benjamin  Sherbow.     Every  advertising  man  needs  it. 

Theodore  Low  De  Vinne  has  published  two  books, 
"Plain  Printing  Types,"  1900,  and  "Correct  Com- 
position," 1901  (The  Century  Company,  New  York), 
which  should  be  in  every  advertising  library. 

A  particularly  delightful  and  inspiring  book  is 
"Printing  m  Relation  to  Graphic  Art,"  1903  (The 
Imperial  Press,  Cleveland) ,  by  George  French. 

Many  books  concerning  the  various  technical 
phrases  of  plate-making  and  printing  are  advertised 
in  the  trade  papers. 

Frank  Alvah  Parsons'  "Principles  of  Advertising 
Arrangement,"  1912  (the  Advertising  Men's  League 
of  New  York  City),  contains  valuable  information 


THE  TOOLS  OF  ADVERTISmG  77 

for  those  interested  in  the  different  phases  of  adver- 
tising display.  The  book  is  a  series  of  ten  lectures 
which  treat  in  a  technical  manner  the  most  important 
factors  to  be  considered  in  building  a  successful 
advertisement.  Two  chapters  devoted  to  "The  Use 
and  Abuse  of  Decoration  and  Ornament"  are  par- 
ticularly worth  while. 

Harry  M.  Basford  has  written  a  valuable  book, 
"How  to  Estimate  on  Printing,"  1913  (Oswald 
l*ublishing  Company,  New  York).  Good  printers, 
like  good  lawyers  and  good  doctors,  are  willing  to 
tell  their  customers  all  they  want  to  know.  The 
reader  will  have  more  respect  for  good  printers  and 
the  work  they  do  after  he  has  finished  Mr.  Basford's 
book. 

The  "Graphic  Arts  and  Grafts  Year  Book" 
(Graphic  Arts  Press,  Hamilton,  Ohio)  contains  the 
latest  examples  of  color  and  process  printing  of  all 
kinds  on  every  variety  of  paper  stock.  Invaluable  to 
printers. 


CHAPTER  IX 

ADVERTISING   MEDIUMS 

THE  group  spirit  creates  the  advertising  me- 
dium. To  think  alike,  people  must  contin- 
ually receive  through  the  same  channel  new 
impressions  of  ideas  which  in  themselves  may  be 
old  or  new.  Leaders  of  groups  persistently  reiterate 
and  confidently  affirm.  They  find  that  all  the  ways 
and  means  of  accepted  advertising  procedure  con- 
stitute the  best  method  of  "selHng"  their  ideas  to 
their  respective  groups. 

Some  mediums  have  greater  prestige  than  others. 
By  "prestige,"  I  mean  that  standing  which  an  or- 
ganization  or   a    man   must   have   whose 
^the^    statements  are  accepted  with  little  or  no 
Medium    question. 

'^Pr^tige  Suppose  that  you  are  on  the  mailing  list 
of  a  bond  house,  and  are  also  a  regular 
reader  of  a  daily  newspaper,  a  subscriber  to  a  monthly 
magazine,  and  an  illustrated  weekly  of  national  cir^ 
culation,  a  daily  patron  of  the  street  cars  and  an 
unintentional  though  by  no  means  uninfluenced 
observer  of  painted  bulletins. 
Suppose  that  the  bond  house  sends  you  a  circular, 

78 


ADVERTISING  MEDIUMS  79^ 

and  that  precisely  the  offer  it  makes  you  appears  in 

your  newspaper,   your  magazine,   your  illustrated 

A  Case     Weekly,   in   street    cars,   and   on   bulletin 

in  Paint     boards.     Which    will   make   the   greatest 

impression? 

If  your  purchases  from  the  bond  house  have  been 
profitable,  the  chances  are  its  circular  would  have 
the  most  prestige.  Had  you  been  indifferently 
served,  or  had  you  later  found  out,  or  thought 
you  had  found  out,  that  some  other  house  would 
have  given  you  the  same  security  and  a  better  rate 
of  interest,  or  if  you  had  never  made  an  investment 
of  that  sort  and  knew  nothing  at  all  about  this  bond 
house,  save  through  the  circular,  it  would  be  the 
least  effective  of  the  mediums  reaching  you. 

But  if  you  were  in  position  to  make  an  investment 
when  you  get  the  circular,  but  had  never  heard  of 
the  bond  house,  it  is  certain  that  the  advertisement 
in  your  favorite  magazine  or  in  your  daily  paper 
would  have  given  to  the  circular  a  prestige  and  in- 
fluence which  it  could  not  possibly  have  had  without 
this  additional  support. 

Prestige,  therefore,  is  either  the  cumulative  result 
of  the  best  type  of  advertising,  or  it  is  a  reinforce- 
Buying  ment  of  a  previously  created  confidence  in 
Space  a  medium  in  the  minds  of  the  individual 
Careful  members  of  the  group  which  makes  the 
Analysis    medium  possible. 

Because  of  competition  among  men  who  own  and 
control  advertising  mediums,  it  is  wise  to  analyze 


80    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

and  weigh  carefully  before  buying  space.  Many 
delicate  factors  have  to  be  considered  in  determining 
which  is  the  best  medium,  or  the  best  selection  from 
a  number  of  mediums  for  your  particular  business. 

The  keen  observer  will  also  discover  a  disparity 
between  the  intrinsic  value  of  mediums   and  the 

The  aggressiveness  and  convincing  power  of 
Intrinsic  the  personal  salesmanship  which  represents 
Mediums    them.     For  many  years  newspaper  pub- 

and        lishers  throughout  the  United  States  sold 

Aggressive  ,   ^  ° 

Salesman-  advertising  space  to  patent-medicine  houses 
*  ^^  for  less  than  cost.  They  thought  that  to 
get  money  for  space  they  had  to  fill  anyhow,  was  like 
finding  it.  Skillful  salesmen  placed  these  remedies 
in  drug  stores  and  then  made  space  contracts  for 
from  one  to  three  years  with  publishers.  Increased 
enlightenment  on  the  part  of  the  publisher  has  just 
about  put  an  end  to  this  kind  of  business. 

Many  of  the  best  and  strongest  mediums  are  rep- 
resented by  salesmen  of  the  true  service  type — men 
who  will  not  sell  the  advertiser  space  unless 
theEepre-    they  are  sure  that  the  nature  of  his  business 
tentative  of    and  his  plans  for  "  cashing  in  "  on  his  adver- 
Is  an       tising  expenditure  will  be  acceptable  to  the 
^^F^t^^    readers  of  the  medium  for  your  particular 
business. 
In  contrast  to  this  position  we   have  that  of  a 
number    of    splendid    advertising    mediums    which 
are  undersold.       The   publishers   take   the   ground 
that  it  is  undignified  to  send  out  men  to  persuade  the 


ADVERTISING  MEDIUMS  81 

advertiser  to  use  their  columns.  With  still  other 
mediums  the  personal  salesmanship  of  the  adver- 
tising representative  is  the  most  interesting,  aggres- 
sive, and  valuable  service  which  the  advertiser  buys. 

The  first  thing  an  advertiser  has  to  do  is  to  fix 
clearly  in  his  mind  the  characteristics  of  the  partic- 
ular group  to  which  his  story  will  most 
One  Large  logically  appeal.  In  some  cases  this  group 
cs.        may    be    numerically    smaller    than    that 

^Swm«      reached  by  the  advertising  medium.    Then 

Groups  it  is  wise  for  him  to  consider  whether  he 
will  concentrate  on  one  medium  that  has 
prestige,  even  though  he  cannot  expect  his  buying 
group  to  consist  of  more  than  a  small  portion  of  that 
which  creates  the  medium,  or  if  he  shall  use  several 
units  reaching  groups  smaller  than  that  which  he  is 
creating  for  himself. 

This  is  the  problem  which  retail  stores  in  big  cities 
can  never  get  away  from.  Shall  the  proprietor  con- 
centrate his  appropriation  on  one  publication,  know- 
ing that  he  could  not  possibly  serve  all  of  its  readers 
if  they  should  come  to  his  store?  Or  shall  he  scatter 
his  appropriation  among  several  daily  newspapers, 
knowing  that  from  each  he  can  gather  a  certain 
number  of  individuals  most  susceptible  to  his  offers, 
just  as  with  a  magnet  one  can  pick  out  from  a 
tray  of  ashes  and  iron  filings  every  particle  of 
metal? 

If  some  one  medium  dominates  the  whole  field,  he 
must  decide  whether  he  will  make  his  business  con- 


82    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

form  to  the  characteristics  of  the  group  which  con- 
stitutes the  medium,  or  if  he  will  make  selections 
from  various  groups  and  build  up  a  following  of  his 
own. 

The  problem  is  intensified  as  soon  as  mail-order 
advertising  and  national  advertising  are  taken  up. 
But  I  shall  consider  these  subjects  in  a  later  chap- 
ter. 

The  mediums  which  are  recognized  as  worthy  of 
every  advertiser's  consideration  are  listed  as  follows: 
Newspapers,  Magazines  (popular,  technical,  trade, 
and  class).  Street  Cars,  Posting,  Painted  Bulletins  and 
Walls,  Electric  Signs,  Window  Displays,  Store  Dem- 
y^  onstrations,  Samphng,  House-to-House 
Differeni     Cauvassing,    Form   Letters    and    Mailing 

Used  in  Cards  or  Circulars  sent  to  lists  of  names, 
Advertidr^  Novelties,  such  as  Calendars,  Blotters, 
and  the  like. 

What  the  newspaper  gives  us,  no  matter  where 

it  is  pubUshed,  is  news.     By  "news"  I  mean  a  record 

of  things  that  happen  to  people.     They  in- 

Advertisers   tcrcst  US  bccausc  wc  are  human  and  they 

Slpl^s  pig^t  happen  to  us,  too.     The  newspaper 

the  Best     is  ephemeral.     Its  mission  is  ended  when  it 

has  been  read.     Its  life  is  over  when  the 

next  issue  is  on  the  market.     It  is  as  hard  to  find 

yesterday's  newspaper  as  it  is  to  remember  who  was 

the  last  vice-president. 

Two  distinct  classes  of  advertisers,  differing  radi- 
cally in  diaracter,  find  the  newspaper  their  best 


ADVERTISING  MEDIUMS  83 

avenue  to  a  market.     First  of  these  is  the  retail 

store.     In  order   to  pay  such    constant  overhead 

The  Bail     ^^^^^es    as    interest    on   capital,    rent. 

Newspaper    salaries,  insurance,  etc.,  it  mtist  do  a  busi- 

Ad^midng   ness  every  day.     The  daily  paper  is  the 

the  Local    ideal  medium  for  getting  the  consumer 

to  come  to  the  store  for  a  defimte  and 

specific  purpose,  a  purpose  which,  if  the  truth  be  told, 

the  advertiser  has  put  into  his  or  her  mind. 

The  other  class  consists  of  those  of  whose  business 
timeliness  is  the  most  conspicuous  feature.     The 
newspaper  is  the  best  medium  for  satisfying 
pape?^Se5  occasioual,  temporary,  and  emergency  busi- 
Medium     ness  needs.     The  want  columns  of  a  metro- 
Saiisfying   politau  newspaper  show  up  human  nature 
'^^N^df^   in  its  most  unsettled  state  with  relation  to 
business.     It  may  seem  paradoxical  that 
the  best  pubUcation  for  establishing  a  strongly  en- 
trenched department  store  is  also  the  most  com- 
petent medium  for  the  man  out  of  a  job  and  the 
employer  who  needs  more  help.     In  the  "want  ads" 
the  man  who  has  old  clothes  to  sell  can  most  speedily 
convert  them  into  cash.     There  rooms  are  rented 
and  roomers  find  new  quarters.     If  you  never  have 
spent  a  couple  of  hours  in  reading  the  "Want  Sec- 
tion" of  a  Sunday  newspaper,  I  recommend  it.     You 
will  get  more  thrills  out  of  it  and  more  things  to 
think  about,  more  sidelights  on  human  nature,  than 
are  to  be  had  in  the  same  time  in  any  other  way. 
In  the  "want"  columns  and  in  the  daily  announce- 


84    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

ments  of  the  department  store  the  best  appeal  to  the 
group  which  constitutes  a  newspaper  must  always  be 
foremost — the  timeliness  of  to-day's  presentation  and 
the  necessity  for  immediate  action.  This  is  the 
general  practice  of  the  most  successful  advertisers. 

Men  who  sell  advertising  space  in  magazines  of 

which  fiction  is  the  important  feature  will  tell  you 

Fiction     that  there  is  a  universal  demand  for  such 

Magazines  literature;  and  that  it  is  when  you  are 

AdveHidng  relaxed  and  reading  a  magazine  that  you 

Medium    ^^^  most  ready  to  receive  new  ideas.     It 

is  noteworthy,  also,  that  a  fiction  magazine  may  be 

read  at  any  time,  now  or  several  months  from  now, 

with  equal  pleasure. 

The  advertiser  whose  goods  can  be  sold  all  over 
the  United  States  is  urged  to  use  national  fiction 
magazines,  because,  having  a  permanent  story  to 
tell,  he  reaches  the  pubHc  at  a  time  when  it  is  most 
likely  to  grant  him  consideration.  Many  producers 
have  built  up  a  large  business  in  this  way. 

Some  successful  magazines,  particularly  our  na- 
tional weeklies,  combine  the  "pulling"  points  of  mag- 
azines and  newspapers,  i.  e.,  (1)  their  fiction 
National  IS  of  such  quality  as  to  be  worth  keeping 
Weeklies  for  futurc  reading,  and  (2)  timely  features 
Combina-  are  dealt  with  more  thoroughly  than  the 
paper  and  Hcwspapcr  Can  treat  them. 
Magazine        Advertisers  classify  technical,  trade,  and 

Medium  ,  ,.        .  .  pi 

class  publications   as  magazines,   for  the 
reason  that  the  groups  to  which  they  appeal  are  not 


ADVERTISING  MEDIUMS  85 

confined  as  to  locality;  they  have  subscribers  in  every 

part  of  the  United  States.     A  number  of  technical 

magazines    are   really    trade    directories. 

Trade,  and   The  last  issuc  of  any  one  of  them  may 

^K^t^Jls'   i^^^^y   ^®   regarded   as   a    complete    and 

up-to-date  manual  of  a  trade  which  may 

cover  the  whole  United  States,  with  representatives 

in  almost  every  city.     The  same  statement  might 

be  made  concerning  class  papers,  although  sectional 

lines  are  more  clearly  drawn  in  this  field. 

Farm  papers  are  usually  listed  as  class  publica- 
tions.    Some  of  them  have  a  national  scope  but  deal 
with   but   one   industry,   such   as  horses, 
Pap^s,     cattle,  or  poultry  breeding.     Others  take 
Uie  Trade    up  the  detail  of  soil,  climate,  and  the  gen- 

tublication  .  .  .,  ..,  ., 

of  a       eral  conditions  of  the  prmcipal  crop  of  the 
^J^       particular  belts  or  territories  they  cover. 
The  latter  are  really  the  trade  papers  of 
over  six  miUion  American  farmers.     Each  one  of  these 
farmers  operates  a  farm  large  enough  to  be  properly 
regarded  as  a  business  unit,  a  separate  producing  and 
merchandising  estabHshment,  as  well  as  a  consuming 
unit,  connected  with  many  different  consuming  groups. 
In  determining  the  value  of  class  pubHcations, 
editorial  prestige,   the  censorship  of  the  advertis- 
ing pages,   the  circulation  of  the  paper, 
Jvdge  a    its  prestige  and  subscription  price,  whether 
Class      Qp  jjQ^  ^Q  gg^lg  q£  subscriptions  is  stimu- 

ruolicatwn  .  ,  '^  t     •» 

lated   by   offering   premiums — and   if   so, 
what  kind  of  premiums — all  these  are  factors  which 


86    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

the  advertiser  who  uses  their  space  should  consider 
seriously. 

This  large  number  of  all  kinds  of  publications 
gives  the  advertiser  ample  opportunity,  and,  as  is  al- 
ways the  case  where  opportunity  is  large,  the  respon- 
sibility for  discrimination  is  increased  exceedingly. 

REFERENCES  ON   CHAPTER   IX 

In  "The  Art  of  Newspaper  Makmg,"  1895  (D. 
Appleton  &  Company,  New  York),  Charles  A.  Dana, 
one  of  the  greatest  American  journalists,  has  given  us 
his  ideas  about  writing  copy  for  and  publishing  a 
paper.     He  gives  standards  for  discrimination. 

"The  Autobiography  of  Benjamin  Franklin,"  1902 
(Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Company,  New  York),  gives 
the  reader  a  very  good  idea  of  the  status  of  adver- 
tising in  his  time.  Franklin  foresaw  the  tremen- 
dous development  of  advertising  mediums,  and  his 
pioneer  work  in  system  may  well  be  regarded  as  the 
foundation  of  modern  and  scientific  management. 

"Astir,"  by  John  Adams  Thayer,  1913  (Small, 
Maynard  &  Company,  Boston),  is  a  frank  revelation 
of  the  ways  of  magazine  publishers,  their  ideals,  and 
their  methods.  If  the  book  contained  nothing  more 
than  his  correspondence  with  Mr.  Frank  A.  Munsey, 
who  gave  us  the  low-priced  fiction  magazine  and  has 
so  largely  influenced  the  history  of  publishing  in  the 
United  States  during  the  last  twenty-five  years — 
it  would  be  worth  careful  reading. 


CHAPTER  X 

ADVERTISING  MEDIUMS  (Continued) 

THE  standard  street-car  card  is  eleven  inches 
high  and  twenty-one  inches  wide.  Many 
manufacturers  and  retailers  favor  this  form 
of  advertising  because  it  gives  them  a  chance  to  re- 
produce their  package  in  its  original  colors. 

Street-car  advertising  is  peculiarly  suitable  for 
continuous  advertising,  because  the  cars  run  every 
Street-car  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  year.  They  follow  the  arteries 
Advertising  of  trade.  The  number  of  cars  run  on  any 
^^  given  line  is  increased  just  as  fast  as  the 
number  of  patrons  increases.  More  people  means 
more  cars,  and  that  means  more  pubHcity  for  car 
cards.  The  longer  the  haul,  the  more  time  the 
traveler  has  for  reading  these  cards. 

Several  different  cards  may  be  run  by  the  same 
manufacturer  at  the  same  time.     Many  advertisers 
The  Uee.     ^^^  ^^  many  as  six  at  once,  with  sixty  words 
Checking     on    cach.     Somc    favor    the    poster    idea 
Street-ear     where  large  type  for  the  name  or  suggestive 
AdverttMTig   pj^tures    with   the   trademark   prominent 
keep  alive  impressions  previously  made  in  the  con- 
sumer's  mind.     Others  rely  wholly   upon   text  to 

87 


88    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

clearly  explain  an  article's  merits  and  deftly  arouse 
the  buying  impulse  to  action. 

The  advertiser  is  given  a  list  of  the  numbers  of 
the  cars  in  which  his  cards  are  appearing.  Check- 
ers visit  the  barns  to  verify  these  lists.  Cards  are 
changed  once  a  month,  usually. 

Pasting  sheets  of  printed  paper  on  walls,  the  sides 
of  barns,  and  on  specially  prepared  boards  is  prob- 
ably the  most  elementary  form  of  adver- 
runners  of  j  tising.     Time  tables  tacked  up  In  railway 

p°^.^^  stations,  notices  pinned  or  pasted  up 
in  post-offices,  the  bulletin  boards  on 
which  most  large  institutions  make  announce- 
ments— these  were  the  forerunners  of  modern  bill- 
posting. 

Circus  and  theatrical  attractions,  recognizing  the 

power  of  color  with  the  public,  and  desiring  to  create 

an  impression  of  bigness,  kept  increasing 

Evolution   the  size  of  posters.     In  this  way  the  8- 

Tweit  sheet,  the  16-sheet,  and  24-sheet  posters 
four  Sheet  of  to-day  Came  about.  In  an  early  day 
it  was  possible  to  print  only  one  sheet, 
28  X  42  inches,  at  a  time.  It  had  to  be  sent  through 
the  press  once  for  each  color;  so  a  24-sheet  poster 
meant  a  great  deal  of  detail  work  in  design,  me- 
chanical execution,  handling  in  the  printing  offices, 
sampHng,  shipping,  and  in  finally  placing  it  on  the 
boards. 

Presses  have  been  increased  in  size  so  that  a 
much  larger  sheet  than  28  x  42  inches  can  be  printed 


ADVERTISING  MEDIUMS  89 

at  one  time,  but  this  arbitrary  size  (28  x  42)  is  the 
unit  of  measurement  in  referring  to  8  sheet,  24 
sheet,  and  other  sizes  of  posters. 

Posters  are  still  lithographed  one  color  at  a  time, 
which  requires  running  the  sheet  through  the  press 
once  for  each  color.  Colored  process  work  on 
'posters  is  possible  and  it  has  been  done,  but  it  has  not 
come  into  general  use.  A  process  poster  seems  to 
lack  the  color  "punch"  an  ordinary  lithographed 
one  has.  It  suffers  in  comparison  with  others  on  a 
billboard  on  which  each  poster  must  compete  with 
all  others  for  attention. 

Billposting  has  been  standardized  in  the  United 

States.     In  about  four  thousand  towns  and  cities 

there  are  regular  plants  which  maintain 

Billposting  u        j        e         'e  v,    •   i-j.   u    x 

Service  03    Doards  of  uniiorm  height  but  varymg  m 

Standard-    ■^yidth  to  accommodatc  one  or  many  posters . 

United  Multiplying  28  inches  by  4  to  get  the 

height  of  a  4-sheet  poster  we  have   112 

inches  or  9  feet  4  inches  as  the  height  of  the  standard 

4-8-12-16-20  and  24  sheet  poster. 

Allowing  for  border,  trim,  and  lap-over,  the  posting 
surface  is  about  9  feet  in  height,  so  a  board  must 
be  at  least  this  height  to  accommodate  a  poster. 
Billboards  are  as  a  rule  10  feet  in  height  to  permit 
blanking  space  above  and  below  the  posters .  In  large 
cities  property  owners  get  high  rents  for  the  ground 
on  which  the  boards  stand.  This  results  in  a  list  of 
si>ecial  locations  for  which  a  higher  rate  is  charged 
than  the  regular  standardized  price  per  sheet. 


90    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

A  billposter  agrees  to  furnish  a  list  of  locations  on 
which  posters  have  been  placed,  and  to  keep  them  in 
good  condition  for  thirty  days.  The  advertiser  fur- 
nishes from  10  to  20  per  cent,  more  paper  than  the 
actual  number  of  locations  require.  Since  it  is  nec- 
essary to  renew  paper  every  thirty  days,  a  month  has 
become  the  basis  on  which  billposting  is  usually  sold. 

Some  advertisers  post  continuously,  but  change 
the  showing  once  a  month;  others  post  alternate 
months;  still  others  post  one  month  in  the  spring 
and  one  in  the  fall.  Some  use  posting  only  when 
they  want  to  introduce  a  product. 

Billposting  boards  usually  diflFer  from  bulletin 
boards  only  in  that  posters  are  pasted  on  the  former 
and  on  the  latter  the  advertisement  is  painted. 

A  painted  bulletin  is  usually  twenty-five  feet  long 
and  made  of  galvanized  iron,  and  sold  on  a  twelve 

Painted  months'  contract  including  one  or  two 
Bulletins  pepaintings.  Rents  for  locations  average 
higher  than  for  billboards,  because  the  contract 
runs  for  a  longer  period.  In  very  many  cities  painted 
boards  or  walls  dominate  the  most  populous  centres. 
Advertisers  who  want  to  create  an  impression  of 
permanence  usually  prefer  paint  to  posters. 

In  height  some  city  bulletin  boards  are  8  feet,  a 
greater  number  are  12  feet.  By  far  the  largest  num- 
ber are  10  feet.  On  boards  now  being  built,  the 
present  tendency  is  toward  boards  12  feet  in  height. 

Buffalo  is  the  only  large  city  I  know  to  build 
bulletin  boards  8  feet  high. 


ADVERTISING  MEDIUMS  91 

This  was  required  by  municipal  ordinances.  The 
sign  people  in  Buffalo  have  evidently  been  able  to 
discover  some  way  to  evade  this  law  or  have  it  re- 
pealed, as  I  understand  they  are  erecting  higher 
boards  in  the  former  ^districts  where  all  boards  over 
eight  feet  in  height  were  prohibited. 

The  cheapest  and  most  effective  outdoor  paint- 
ing is  on  outside  store  walls,  if  locations  are 
available.  Successful  advertisers  usually  go  into  a 
city,  buy  a  well-distributed  wall  showing,  and  sup- 
plement it  with  painted  bulletin  locations  wherever 
walls  are  not  to  be  had.  Walls  are  painted  once  a 
year.  The  minimum  price  is  5  cents  per  square  foot. 
At  that  rate,  a  20  x  40  foot  wall  costs  the  advertiser 
$40  for  a  twelve  months'  showing,  this  to  include  the 
cost  of  designing  and  painting. 

A  10  X  25  foot  painted  bulletin,  being  a  selected 
location  as  a  rule,  is  considered  to  have  the  same 
r>  11^-       J  attention  value  as  an  800-square-foot  wall. 

BiiUetins  and  ^ 

Walls      Forty  cents  a  month  per  running  foot,  or 

Compared      ^  ,  e      >  t         j 

^  5  cents  per  square  foot  per  year,  on  a  board 
eight  feet  high,  means  that  a  bulletin  costs  twelve 
times  as  much  per  square  foot  as  a  wall.  But  the 
250  square  feet  of  space  in  a  25-foot  bulletin  is 
usually  considered  equivalent  to  800  feet  in  a  wall,  if 
one  takes  into  consideration  the  better  location,  that 
the  bulletin  is  painted  twice  a  year,  and  that  its 
smoother  surface  makes  finer  pictorial  work  pos- 
sible. 

A  32-sheet  poster,  at  20  cents  per  sheet  a  month. 


92    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUIVIER 

costs    $6.40.      It    is    generally    compared    with    a 

25 -foot  bulletin,    as    it  occupies  about    the  same 

The  Com-    space  and  costs  $10  a  month.     A  poster 

Cost  of     costs  $6.40  per  month,  plus  the  cost  of 

"^a^"  paper,  which  will  vary  from  40  cents  to  $1 
"Paita"  each  (in  minimum  lots  of  1,000)  plus  the 
cost  of  expressage.  The  cost  of  paint  and  paper 
is  so  nearly  the  same,  therefore,  that  competition 
is  keen  wherever  they  are  handled  by  different  inter- 
ests. In  a  number  of  prominent  cities,  notably 
Boston,  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Seattle,  Portland,  San 
Francisco,  and  Los  Angeles,  paint  and  posting 
interests  are  identical.  The  tendency  of  advertisers 
generally  is  to  use  paint  for  twelve  months'  showing 
and  paper  for  all  shorter  periods. 

Electric  signs  have  become  an  important  feature 

of  outdoor  advertising  in  large  cities.     It  is  difficult 

for  some  people  to  believe  that  a  chewing- 

Sigm  S^^^  manufacturer,  for  example,  can  afford 
to  pay  $18,000  a  year  for  an  electric  sign 
showing  the  full  length  of  Broadway  from  Thirty- 
third  to  Forty-second  Street.  This  is  less  than 
$50  a  day,  and  it  may  safely  be  said  that  at  least 
200,000  people,  each  having  money  enough  to  buy 
chewing-gum,  see  this  sign  every  day. 

This  completes  the  list  of  mediums  for  which  a 
national  service  has  been  organized.  It  is  possible  for 
an  advertiser  to  get  accurate  information  about  all 
these  mediums  in  one  office,  and  also  to  contract 
therefor  dependable,  easily  verifiable  service   which 


ADVERTISEs^G  IVIEDIUIMS  9S 

will  be  billed  to  him  monthly,  and  may  be  paid  for 
with  a  single  check. 

There  are  other  advertising  mediums  which  are 
quite  generally  handled  in  the  advertiser's  organiza- 
tion. 

Window  displays  can  be  purchased  from  houses 
which  make  a  specialty  of  preparing  them.  But 
it  is  always  wisest  for  the  advertiser  to  have 
Di^daus  ^^^  *^^^^  Tncn  put  them  up.  A  vast  amount 
of  lithographed  material  sent  out  to  dealers 
is  wasted.  They  store  it,  temporarily  of  course, 
under  the  counter;  and  very  often  it  gets  no  further. 
Sometimes  it  is  never  impacked  or  brought  up  from 
the  basement.  Window  display  costs  anywhere 
from  25  cents  to  several  dollars  per  window.  Before 
he  undertakes  this  form  of  advertising  the  manufac- 
turer should  be  very  sure  that  he  has  a  comprehen- 
sive workable  plan  which  will  positively  put  his 
material  in  the  window. 

Food  manufacturers  frequently  use  store  demon- 
strations to  introduce  a  product.  The  demonstra- 
„  tors  should  be  capable  saleswomen  who 

Demonstra-  Can  take  cnough  orders  and  make  enough 
"^  direct  sales  to  practically  pay  their  way. 
Some  retailers  object  to  demonstrations,  declaring 
that  they  divert  attention  from  the  regular  stock. 
The  average  grocery  store  serves  less  than  one  hun- 
dred families.  Actually,  the  average  is  only  a  little 
more  than  sixty.  Unless  the  demonstrator  does  pay 
her  way  in  sales,  the  publicity  is  very  expensive. 


94    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Sampling  is  also  favored  by  food  manufacturers. 
A  crew  of  men,  in  charge  of  a  dependable  super- 
intendent, gives  samples  direct  to  house- 
wives, or  hands  out  coupons  redeemable 
at  a  grocery  store  either  in  full  or  part  payment  for 
a  package  of  the  goods  being  advertised.     The  manu- 
facturer allows  the  grocer  full  credit,  in  lieu  of  cash 
for  goods,  for  all  coupons  redeemed  before  a  cer- 
tain date. 
„      ,  House-to-house  canvassing  is  an  exten- 

house  sion  of  the  demonstration  idea.  The  can- 
atwassing  y^gger  frequently  makes  direct  sales  to  the 
housewife  and  turns  them  over  to  her  grocer.  Some- 
times the  canvasser  goes  out  with  the  grocer's  order 
boy,  gives  a  talk  about  the  goods  at  each  stop,  and 
makes  direct  sales. 

Form   letters,   mailing   cards,   and   folders   have 
played  a  considerable  role  in  advertising,  and  are 
p.j„^       still  used  by  many  advertisers.     They  are 
Letters,      expensive  when  one  considers  the  number 
Cards,      of  people  reached,  because  Uncle  Sam  does 
Folders      ^^^^  make  a  discriminating  rate  in  favor  of 
printed  matter  of  this  kiad,  as  he  does  for  news- 
papers, magazines,  and  periodicals  which  travel  as 
second-class  matter.     Very  often  advertisers  go  to 
a  dealer,  sell  him  a  bill  of  goods,  and  get  the  names 
of  his  customers  and  prospectives.     The  manufac- 
turer believes  he  can  demonstrate  to  the  customer 
the  merits  of  his  goods  more  quickly  and  accurately 
than  the  dealer  can.     He  also  believes   that  the 


ADVERTISING  MEDIUMS  95 

literature  he  sends  to  these  customers  mfluences  and 
reinforces  the  dealer's  attitude  toward  his  product. 

Mailing  cards  are  sent  out  in  advance  of  salesmen 
calling  on  the  trade.     They  also  announce  changes  in 
price.     A    number   of    wholesale   jobbing 
%th^     houses  get  all  orders  from  dealers  through 
^'^    the  mail.     Such  houses  get  out  a  catalogue 
Used  to    at  least  once  a  month.     Many  jobbers  an- 
Sa^men   ticipate  the  calls  of  their  salesmen  by  work- 
ing the  trade  by  mail,  hoping  to  get  a 
small  initial  order,  or  a  request  for  a  salesman  to 
call.     Others  send  out  printed  matter,  to  keep  up  the 
dealer's  interest  during  the  interval  between  the 
salesman's  visits. 

The  use  of  calendars  and  novelties  is  quite  a 
different    but    very    popular    form    of    advertising. 
Calenda       Theoretically,  the  value  of  the  calendar, 
and        or  pocketbook,  or  knife,  or  blotter,  with  the 
'^  ^     advertiser's  name  on  it  is  that  because  it  is  a 
useful  article,  it  will  keep  the  advertiser's  name  con- 
stantly before  the  user.    The  truth  of  the  matter  is  that 
few  men  could  tell  you  the  name  which  is  on  the  blotter 
which  they  have  been  using  every  day  for  a  week. 

The  best  novelty  salesmen  do  not  use  the  "Keep 
your  name  before  the  pubhc"  plea,  for  they  know 
that  the  advertiser  can  get  this  service  else- 
Ideas  Used  where  foF  much  less  money.  The  plan  most 
%ale'm^  ^^^^  ^^  *^  ^^^  ^  banker,  for  instance,  how 
he  would  like  to  have  fifty  men  who  had 
never  been  in  his  bank,  all  of  them  desirable  patrons. 


96    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

come  in  to  see  him  and  accept  a  favor  from  him,  at  a 
cost  not  to  exceed  twenty -five  cents  each.  The  first 
time  it  is  presented,  this  proposition  is  very  tempting. 
The  salesman  shows  a  reproduction  of  a  beautiful 
picture,  explains  that  he  will  have  it  made  up  in 
a  handsome  calendar,  and  hands  the  banker  a  copy  of 
a  form  letter  which  has  been  successful  in  other  places. 
It  invites  the  recipient  to  stop  at  the  bank  some  day, 
when  he  is  going  by,  and  get  a  calendar  that  has 
been  set  aside  for  him.  The  salesman  cautions  tlie 
banker  to  write  the  man's  name  on  the  envelope 
before  he  comes  in,  so  that  he  will  be  sure  to  know  he 
is  getting  something  which  has  been  especially  re- 
served for  him.  One  cannot  say  this  is  not  successful 
advertising;  and  for  certain  lines  of  business  it  seems 
the  cheapest  and  quickest  approach. 

Novelty  salesmen  who  want  to  build  a  permanent 
clientele  are  most  concerned  about  how  their  cus- 
.  „.        tomers  use  these  novelties.     Suppose  that. 
Value  to    having  given  a  clerk  a  strong  sales  talk 
tes    j^  which  he  emphasizes  the  chance  to  de- 
velop selling  ability  by  making  every  eflFort  to  sell 
the  article  which  the  salesman  has  just  sold  the 
proprietor,  the  salesman  hands  the  clerk  a  pencil 
and  tells  him  to  use  it  writing  out  orders.     Every 
time  he  uses  it,  that  pencil  reminds  the  clerk  of 
that  sales  talk.     To  merely  hand  out  the  pencil,  as 
if  the  salesman  himself  considered  it  of  but  little 
value,  would  be  sheer  waste.     Calendars  and  novel- 
ties should  remind  the  recipient  of  a  forceful  sales 


AD\TERTISING  MEDIUIVIS  97 

talk;  when  they  do,  tliey  have  a  sentimental  value 
quite  apart  from  and  beyond  their  actual  cost. 

Shdes  for  motion-picture  houses  are  worth  while 

for  local  merchants  who  have  the  exclusive  sale  of  a 

„   .         nationally  advertised  brand  of  goods  for 

picture     their  own  city  or  a  restricted  community. 

Attempts  have  been  made  to  organize  the 

motion-picture  business,  so  that  slides  might  be  sold 

on  a  national  service  basis;  but  very  Httle  headway 

has  been  made. 

REFERENCES  ON  CHAPTER  X 

There  is  plenty  of  Hterature  about  advertising 
mediums.  Publishers  and  space-owners  are  contin- 
ually putting  out  books  that  deal  with  one  or  an- 
other phase  of  the  subject.  Much  of  this  material 
might  be  classed  as  special  pleading.  Too  much  of  it 
extols  one  class  of  mediums  and  condemns  all  others. 

Esp>ecially  noteworthy  is  "  Selhng  Forces,"  1913,  by 
the  Curtis  Publishing  Company.  It  covers  a  broad 
field  and  is  a  comprehensive  and  authoritative  treat- 
ise on  the  whole  subject  of  advertising. 

For  practical  suggestions  and  methods,  see  "Poster 
Advertising,"  1910,  by  G.  H.  E.  Hawkins,  Chicago; 
also  "Newspaper  Advertising,"  1914,  by  the  .same 
author. 

Henry  S.  Bunting,  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Novelty  News,  has  written  several  books  on  new 
and  special  phases  of  advertising.  Novelty  Adver- 
tising and  personal  appeal  is  covered  in  his  book. 


98    ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

"Specialty  Advertising — The  New  Way  to  Build 
Business"  (second  edition,  1914);  premium  or  profit- 
sharing  advertising  in  "The  Premium  System  of 
Forcing  Sales:  Its  Principles,  Laws,  and  Uses "(1913) ; 
his  latest  and  best  book,  "The  Elementary  Laws  of 
Advertising  and  How  to  Use  Them"  (1914,  the 
Novelty  News  Press,  Chicago),  being  a  clear  definition 
of  the  principles  and  laws  which  underlie  all  success- 
ful advertising,  applying  equally  to  the  use  of  every 
kind  of  media. 


CHAPTER  XI 

BUILDING  AND  TESTING  AN  ADVERTISEMENT 

COPY  is  the  term  by  which  advertising  men 
designate  everything  the  advertiser  puts  into 
the  space  he  buys.     The  right  kind  of  copy 
is  built  rather  than  written  or  designed. 

A  copy   writer   should   have   accurate,   compre- 
hensive knowledge  of  the  characteristics  of  the  group 
Whcd  the    ^^  whom  the  copy  is  to  appeal.     He  should 
^opy      know  what  the  wares  advertised  will  do. 
Should     and  what  they  cannot  be  expected  to  do, 
Ktww      Jjj  |.jjg  iian(js  of  the  consumer.     He  should 
have  before  him  an  analysis  of  all  competitors'  ad- 
vertising, so  that  he  may  not  reinforce  their  work  by 
using  points  which  they  have  preempted.     He  should 
know  what  kind  of  salesmanship,  written  and  per- 
sonal, is  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  copy.     He 
usually  is  and  should  be  responsible  for  the  prepara- 
tion of  anticipatory  and  follow-up  literature  to  be 
used  in  connection  with  advertisements.     To  do  this 
most  effectively,  he  must  be  thoroughly  saturated 
and  in  absolute  harmony  with  the  sales  poUcy  of  the 
house  for  which  he  is  writing. 

A  copy  writer  should  regard  himself  as  an  inter- 


100  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

preter  between  the  man  who  has  something  to  sell 

and  the  people  who  can  use  it.     Many  points  which 

The  Copy    the  manufacturer  finds  interesting,  in  pro- 

l^r^eler   ^^^^^S  ^is  wares,  would  only  confuse  the 

Between     buyer  and  distract  his  attention.     The  pur- 

Advertiser        ■.  •  •  M'i  a.     ^   •      it 

and  Buy-  chaser  IS  primarily  interested  m  the  satis- 
ing  Group  faction  he  derives  from  his  purchase.  The 
consumer's  point  of  view  differs  radically  from  that 
of  the  retail  clerk,  or  the  dealer,  or  the  salesman 
who  represents  the  manufacturer  In  distributing  his 
goods  through  the  established  channels  of  trade. 

Unless  the  copy  writer  and  the  commercial  artist 
can  almost  intuitively  grasp  the  group  spirit,  and 
emphasize  in  words  and  pictures  those  points  of  the 
article  being  advertised  which  will  appeal 
lUt^ating  most  strongly  to  the  individuals  which  com- 
^^>X'"-^A   P^^^  ^^  group,  their  technical  ability  will 
a  Strong    couut  for  vcry  little.     I  am  convinced  that 
p^^—^  the  number  of  persons  who  can  write  or 
Neural    illustrate  copy  which  sells  goods  is  com- 
paratively small. 
The  successful  copy  writer  must  have  a  natural 
bent  or  gift  for  it,  somewhat  akin  to  the  reporter's 
"nose  for  news."     It  is  certain,  however,  that  expe- 
rience and  the  following  of  generally  accepted  stand- 
ards will  develop,  intensify,  and  make  more  practical 
a  natural  gift  for  writing  and  illustrating  copy. 

The  novel  and  spectacular  can  generally  be  found 
within  the  advertiser's  organization  or  in  the  wares 
produced.     The  copy  writer  who  gives  to  the  reader  the 


BUILDING  AND  TESTING  101 

impression  that  he  has  created  the  novel  or  sensational 
features  of  the  advertisement  defeats  its  purpose. 

When  the  size  of  an  advertisement  and  what  is  to 

be  said  in  it  have  been  determined,  the  best  plan 

is  for  the  copy  writer  to  make  a  diagram, 

ming^^he'   enclosing  the  exact  amount  of  space  to  be 

Advertise-    used;  then  indicate  that  portion  which  will 

be  reserved  for  illustration;   locate  with 

heavy  lines,  or  letter  in,  the  large  display  words,  in 

order  to  get  the  proper  emphasis  and  balance  for  the 

principal  points;  and  finally  fill  in  the  remaining 

space  with  text  matter. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  believe  that,  because  people 
remember  very  little  of  what  they  see,  an  advertise- 
ment should  consist  of  very  few  words.    We 
iVo<^      remember  Dickens'  characters  because  he 
Neces^mly  restated  their  peculiarities  again  and  again 
until   they   were   unforgettable.     A   good 
story  writer  grips  the  reader's  attention  in  the  first 
paragraph  and  carries  it  through  column  after  column 
of  interesting  matter,  all  the  time  burning  into  his 
consciousness  the  points  which  are  to  be  emphasized. 
Display  advertisements  serve  two  purposes:   (1) 
they  impress  the  casual  reader,  and  (2)  they  put  the 
buying  impulse  into  the  mind  of  the  possible 
ments  Must  customer.     Both  kinds  must  be  considered 
^'Se""^  i^  ^^g  a  layout.     An   advertisement 
Desire  to    needs  to  be  a  good  one,  even  if  it  is  to  have 
"^       no  more  attention  than  that  casually  given 
to  a  poster.     Small  type  should  be  saved  for  clinching 


102  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

the  buying  impulse,  for  if  the  reader  takes  time  to 
read  the  small  type,  it  means  that  his  curiosity  has 
been  aroused  by  the  display  features. 

In  the  first  edition  of  this  book  I  described  the  ten 
tests  which  I  originated  and  used  for  many  years  in 
judging  copy  before  printing  it.  These  ten  tests 
were:  (1)  Is  it  institutional?  (2)  Is  it  natural?  (3) 
Is  it  specific?  (4)  Is  it  timely?  (5)  Is  it  pertinent? 
(6)  Is  it  consistent?  (7)  Is  it  persistent?  (8)  Is  it 
authoritative?  (9)  Is  it  plausible?  and  (10)  Is  it 
sincere? 

After  mature  thought  I  have  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  there  are  but  five  fundamental  tests. 

The  reader  will  agree  with  me,  I  am  sure,  that 
Consistency  and  Naturalness  are  qualities  of  In- 
stitutionalism,  that  the  test  of  "Is  It  Forcible?" 
includes  the  questions  of  Persistency  and  Authority, 
and  that  an  advertisement  cannot  be  Specific  with- 
out being  Pertinent,  and  cannot  be  Plausible  unless 
it  is  Timely. 

The  five  tests  as  they  now  stand  are:  (1)  Is  it  in- 
stitutional? (2)  Is  it  specific?  (3)  Is  it  forcible? 
(4)  Is  it  plausible?     (5)  Is  it  sincere? 

Tests  of  These  tests  are  not  intended  to  guide 
an  Adver-  creative  work.  They  should  be  applied 
before  advertisements  are  given  their  final 
approval.  They  will  be  of  use  to  the  copy  writer, 
to  the  retailer  who  has  an  advertising  manager,  to  the 
manufacturer,  to  the  sales  manager,  and  to  the 
salesman. 


The  Watch  that  made  the  Dollar  Famous 


Thin 
Model 

Gentlemen's 

Cclipse" 

$150 


Watclies 


Thirty  million  Americans  have  bought  and  timed  their 
lives  by  the  Ing;er3oU  watch.  More  than  half  of  all  the 
watches  now  made  in  this  country  are  IngersoUs, — 
14,000  every  day. 

By  ihc«r  f6rc«  of  utility  the  Ingersoll  has  overcome  the  incredu- 
lity that  naturally  attaches  to  low  price  and  has  been  adopted 
into  every  nook  and  comer  of  American  li/e. 
Side  by  side  with  such  men  as  Thomas  Edison  and  Glenn  Curtiss. 
the  street  urchin,  the  business  man,  the  clerk,  the  school-child 
and  the  laborer  mark  time  with  the  IngeraoIL  All  find  it  suffi- 
cient for  practical  ne«<U. 

People  DOW  pride  themselves  on  buying  satisCsctory  watch  servKe 
at  the  lowest  cost.  To  wear  an  InsersoU  has  become  a  bodge  of 
thrift  and  enlightened  recognitionofloda/s  mechanical  attainments. 
There  is  an  Ingersoll  for  tviry  one.  TThe  four  models  shown  on 
this  page  take  care  of  the  needs  of  men  and  boys  who  want 
small,  thin  watches.  The  "  Midget "  at  $2.00  is  being  adopted  by 
our  nation  of  women  and  is  the  moat  satiaCactory  of  all  watches 
for  girls  and  little  boys. 

Ingersoll  watches  are  sold  tn  every  town  and  hamlet  by  over 
60,000  dealers.     Booklet  free. 

Robt  R  IngerMU  &  Bro..  21  AdiUnd  BUf^  New  York 


Small 
Thin 
Model 

Viinzor 
$2^0 


The  "Midget -the  -watch  fora  v/oman's  handbag  and  a  child's  pocket 


r^F  all  the  gifts  that  fit  the 
wedding  day, —  none  so 
timely  as  the  one  that  provides 
the  means  for  telling  the  picture 
story  of  that  day,— 

A  Kodak 

//  it   isn't  an    luistmaii,    it   isn't   a    Kodak. 


Ctitahjuuc  jr. 


I'.ASrM AN   KODAK  COMl'AXY, 

,    ■   '.;  ■   ■■'■■•  K()t:ilb:.Sli:R,  iN.  v.,  'I'hc  Kodak  (iily. 


The  Energizer  of  Business 


IN  a  metropolitan  power-house 
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This  exciter  by  its  electric  im- 
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generator  brings  the  whole  mech- 
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It  is  not  necessary  to  parboi 

Swift's  Premium  Ham 


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Unexpected ! 


**Why,  John,  you  said  it  was  an  oU  house!" 

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10%  Mo 

Quaker  Oals  is  no 
times  as  large  a-,  ihe 
>ou  10  per  cent  more 

re 

w  pu 
IO-c( 
forv 

for 

.,p  al> 
)ur  m«n 

ybur 

By  saCmc 
e>       Sec  hr 

Mon 

in  packi 
w  long  ii 

ey 

e.irly  three 
ic  It  oflcr^ 
lasts. 

That  Quaker 
Oats  Aroma 


.r.  "io 


The  very  aroma  of  Quaker  Oat>  tells  us  exquisite  fia 
know  before  you  taste  it  that  there's  choicencss  in  this  3ish. 

Only  the  big  grams  yield  that  aroma.     And,  without  the 
Quaker  process,  it  could  never  be  kept  intact. 

That's  why  Quaker  Oats  is  distinctive. 

We  get  that  flnvor  and  we  preserve  it.     Wc  discard  all  the 
grains  which  lack  it,  so  the  flavor  is  never  diluted. 

If  you  enjoy  it.    vou  can  always   get   it  by  simply  saying 
"Quaker."     And  without  any  extra  price- 


it 


Rolled  from  the  Largest  Grains 


I  bushel,  bcc 
fldlccs.  Theoihersaregoodonoughfor 


Wc  gel  but  ion  (vounds  of  Qn. 
'jushcl,  bccauM:  o' 

lets  are  good  onoU] 
I  for  boys  ^nd  gir 

Wfstaned  lodothat  25  years ign, 
andihcfdmeoTihtfcflavorsptcad.  Now 
.1  hundred  nations  send  here  lo  get 
Ou^kerOats.  And  millions  of  children 
tf  ever)  flimr  enjoy  it  evcr>- morning. 


aboiinHs  in  the  clein^nfi  im^HM  d^r 
brami  ind  ntr\cs  It  i>  known  as 
"the  food  nf  foods." 

But.    without    that    taste    wliuh  . 
ting,  few  children  would 


Th, 


sold  in 

Serr. 
SimII   I 


hdU  enough. 

■|y  we  St 


ipply 


!  flavor. 


Quaker  OaU  in  Iari«  dUkcs. 
full  ■(•  Tira-pr«ducins  pow«r. 


Quaker  Oa's.  as  an   energy  fooH 
els  anythmg  else    >ou    know,      li 

Wc  and  2Sc  per  'Package 
Except  in  far  West  and  South 

Th*  hrf9  2S'ttnt  package  giiMt  #en  p«r  c*nf  more  for  ihe  mo 

The  Quaker  Qats  (prr\pa.ny 


"No  More  Darning  for  You,  Mother^ 

This  Holeproof  Six  Months'  Guarantee  Settles  That" 


MADAM,  why  does  your  family  wear  stock- 
ings and  socks  that  need  darning  every 
u'cek  ?  Here  is  hosiery  that  doesn't  need 
darning — socks  and  stockings  for  merit  tvomefty  children 
$nd  infants. 

Six  pairs  of  Holeproof  will  wear  half  a  year  with- 
out holes  or  tears.  That  is  guaranteed.  If  any  of 
the  six  pairs  fail  in  that  time  we  will  replace  them 
with  new  hose  free.  Tell  your  family  about  them. 
They  don't  'want  you  to  darn  for  them.  And  dooo 
of  them  likes  the  discomfort  of  darned  hose 

For  14  Years 

For  14  years  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  have 
wtx-n  no  other  hosiery  than  Holeproof. 

More  than  1.000,000  people  ask  for  Holeproof 
today  in  thousands  of  stores  in  the  United  Sutes. 

Europe  is  sending  for  thousands  of  boxes.  And 
nx  arc  operating  a  factory  in  Canada, 


Pure  Worth 

We  go  to  extremes  to  get  the  finest  materials. 
We  use  the  world's  highest-priced  cotton  yarns.  Wo 
could  buy  yarns  in  this  country  for  less  than  half 
what  wc  pay. 

But  we  use  yarn  of  an  extra-Ion^  fibre  which  means 
pliability,  light  weii^ht,  softness  and  strength. 

No  other  yarn  permits  better  style.  And  wo 
produce  liolcproofs  in  all  the  smartest  shades^ 


Sold  Everywhere 


TDe  gemiine  Hol^pi 
Danm  on  nquest,  or 
prepaid  on  rrcttpt  of 

We  tuvt  ibe  heav 


■pread  popularity.    Write  for  ibeinc  book  thU  UUs  all 


people lesm  the  n 

, -.- ,.     ...  ibe  (ncbook    ' 

\ja  ail  tktJamHy  w«  bow  tbey  are  made. 

HOLEPROOF  HOSIERY  COMPANY, 


■old  in  your  town.    Well  tend  the  dnt«rs' 
We  make  Holeproofs  (or  i 
ight>  for  winter.     Yoa  will  i 


o(  HoleprooCf  wid^ 


lilk  gbv«s  produced.    Made  to  all  tengtlu,  \ 
Write  for  the  illu&trated  book  thftt  tdb  all  s 

FOR  WOMEN    ;Sr.brl.E*lLl^ 


of  the  dealer  itear 


1 


ittle  personal  touches  about  a  home  that  count.  The  artistic  hanging  of  a  drapery,  the 
grouping  of  furniture,  the  sunny  freshness  of  a  newly  washed  curtain,  the  glowing 
of  ornaments  and  bric-a-brac — such  things  as  these  help  make  home  homelike  and  show 
:ly  industry  on  the  part  of  the  housekeeper  but  a  knack  of  properly  caring  for  fine  things, 
iplest  form,  this  knack  of  keeping  silver,  china,  linens,  Iac:s.  upholstery,  etc.,  at  their  best  is  nothing 
'ledge  of  the  posmbilities  of  Ivory  Soap. 

Of  course,  special  hints,  sometimes  are  helpful,  such  as  the  directions  below  For  rehanging  a  lace 
door  panel.  But  the  one  thing  necessary  is  to  realize  how  many  things  ordinarily  never 
attempted  with  soap  may  be  accomplished  to  entire  satisfaction  with  the  mild,  pure  Ivory. 

Booklet  of  Unusual  Ivory  Soap  Recipes  Free 

To  suggest  some  of  these  unusual  uses  we  have  compiled  a  booklet  of  about  100  recipes 
received  from  various  sources.  These  recipes  will  be  found  exceedingly  interesting  and 
exceptionally  helpful.  You  may  have  a  copy  by  asking  for  "Unusual  Uses  of  Ivory  Soap." 
Address  The  Procter  &  Gamble  Co.,  Department  1 6,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


ySo.p 


D<^r  PumI— Pint.  wuK  the  gUi 
>rra  watei.  Rintc  ' 
ght>ndI<M.t  dtv. 


IVORY  SOAP . 


■h  the  Uce  in  the  umtal  way  in 
p  in  rod*  while  panel  if  wet.  p 
>B  and  maket  the  panel  look  Uk 


99M^  PURE 


m 


You  are  going  to  see  some  interesting  things 
in  our  clothes  for  spring 

F^OR   J25   and   upward,  you   can   buy   clothes  made  from  imported   fabrics 
which    formerly   cost  you   considerably   more.     We   are   combining   better 
fabrics  with  our  fine  tailoring  at  no  increase  in  price. 

The  finest  imported  weaves  which  have  heretofore  been  used  for  the  cost- 
liest custom  tailoring  are  available  to  us  under  the  new  tariff  law.  Stripes, 
plaidsj  black  and  whites,  and  gray  and  whites  are  some  of  the  principal  effects. 
Decorations  are  mostly  in  silk. 

Style  features  of  the  new  season  are  simple,  yet  striking.  In  young  men's 
clothes,  they  follow  the  shape  of  the  figure;  no  padding;  wider  lapels  and 
collars;  shorter  coats,  smaller  sleeves,  narrow  shoulders,  softer  draping.  Men's 
styles,  while  more  conservative,  tend  in  the  same  direction. 

In  our  Style  Book  for  spring,  you  will  sec  all  the  new  styles  portrayed  in  a 
series  of  artistic  and  interesting  pictures ;  you  can  ascertain  where,  in  your  city  or 
town,  our  clothes  may  be  seen  and  bought. 


Hart  Schaffner  &   Marx 

Good     Clothes    Makers 


Foreign  Offices 


ciar  of  Cigars 


JEWELERS 


1  fW 


INTERNATIONAL  CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS 

Rox841         SCItAJiTON,  PA. 

Explain,  without  any  obligation   on   my  part,   how 
1  ran  niiallfv  for  the  t>o.^ltion  before  which  I  mark    ** 


PERHAPS    you    are    "loafing   on  yourself"    without    realizing    it. 
The  man  who  "dreams  "  about  a  higher  position  is  a  "self 'loafer." 
It   is    an   absolute   fact  that   the   most   difficult   problem   of   the 
greatest    employers    in    the    world    is    to    secure    men    for    big    positions. 

Marshall  Field,  one  of  the  greatest  merchants  in  the  world,  publicly 
claimed  that  his  greatest  difficulty  was  to  secure  trained  men  capable  of 
filling  positions  paying  $25,000  a  year. 

It  is  all 

the  matter  of  training, 

not  dreaming 

We  can  give  you  proved  records  of 
thousands  of  men  who  have  climbed 
from  the  dreamer's  class  to  the  director's 
class  through  the  training  of  the 
International  Correspondence  Schools. 
We  will  thow  yoa  how  to  do  it. 

Whether  you  live  in  the  flood-wrecked 
city  of  Nome,  Alaska  — in  a  sun-baked 
adobe  cabin  of  Arizona — or  in  the  great 
commercial  centers,  the  I.  C.  S.  will  show 
you  how  to  improve  your  position  and 
increase  yoar  talary. 

All  we  ask  you  to  do  is  to  sign  and 
mail  the  I.  C.  S.  coupon  as  directed. 
This  places  you  under  no  obligation.  It 
simply  brings  to  you  FREE  information 
how  to  secure  the  training  that  has  made 

the     success     of     thousands    of   men    who  Present  Employer - 

thought    they    were    "down    and    out."  ' 

Mark  and  mail  the  coupon  today  ' 

Olty. 


Saleflmanshlp 
Electrical  iCngineer 
VAee,  Llebtlng  Supt. 
riMtrleCkr  Rnnalnr 
Electric  Wlreman 
Teleplione  Expert 
Architect 

BulldlngContractor 
Arebit«etar«l  UrftftiBa* 
Strnetarsl  Ear'iDevr 
faneret*  ConilmetiVB 
Median.  Eofrlneer 
HecbRaleal  Prafumaa 
R«(rlreratloa  EarU>««r 


lain»Siin«riat»nd«Kt 

Metal  MlnlDc 

Lo«i>aiotir«Fir«Biaa*Ear. 
StatlonaryEn^neer 


Civil  Servlco 

Rsllvar  MiU  CItrk 
Bookkeeping 
etraoffrapbyATrpswrltlar 
Window  TrlmnilDg 
Show  Card  Writlne 
Lrtlcrlar  *  ^l(a  falaUal 


rlalDestsnlnc 


Teacher 

English  Branches 

ood  Earlivb  for  ETery  Oac 


riaaiblarA  »"l 


BUILDING  AND  TESTING  103 

(1)  75  your  advertisement  institutional?  An  insti- 
tution is  composed  of  individuals  who  have  many 
thoughts  in  common.  The  circulation  of  a  successful 
publication  is  institutional.  The  group  which  reads 
a  single  publication,  day  after  day,  will  unconsciously 
be  influenced  by  and  then  accept  its  institutional 
viewpoint.  A  well-managed  business  house  develops 
an  established  order  of  doing  things.  This  makes  it 
institutional  in  character. 

The  best  copy  reflects  the  institutional  quality 
of  the  business  which  it  is  promoting,  and  takes 
cognizance,  in  its  appeal,  of  the  institutional  traits 
of  the  readers. 

Does  your  advertisement  appeal  most  strongly  to 
the  group  spirit  of  the  people  to  whom  it  is  directed? 
To  answer  this  question  one  must  have  complete 
data  as  to  the  tastes,  incomes,  ideals,  purposes,  and 
habits  of  life  of  the  group  which  is  to  be  influenced. 
It  also  calls  for  the  intelligent  scrutiny  of  the  read- 
ing pages  of  those  publications  which  have  the  larg- 
est circulation  in  that  group. 

An  advertisement  should  carry  over  to  the  reader 
the  individuality  of  the  advertiser.  Some  pubhcity 
fails  because  the  writer  of  it  is  under  the  strain  of 
being  unnatural.  His  copy  is  forced,  and  does  not 
ring  true.  A  good  advertisement  is  a  mental  photo- 
graph of  the  pohcy  and  principles  of  the  advertiser, 
presented  in  a  way  that  makes  the  reader  feel  that 
they  safeguard  his  best  interests.  The  copy  writer 
must  be  able  to  interpret  the  advertiser's  personahty, 


104  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

and  so  to  express  his  ideas  in  print  that  they  are 
instantly  recognized  as  a  sincere  message  from  him. 
The  copy  writer  is  a  success  who  can  make  his  copy 
carry  over  to  the  reader  that  intangible  something 
which  pervades  every  successful  commercial  organiza- 
tion. 

Each  advertisement  must  be  a  perfect  Hnk  in  the 
chain  of  the  advertiser's  selling  policy.  It  should 
not  be  printed  unless  it  will  have  intelligent  and 
sympathetic  cooperation  from  the  advertiser's  sales- 
people. Methods  that  bring  success  to  one  institu- 
tion are  often  ridiculously  useless  for  another.  To 
exploit  a  bank  in  the  extravagant  superlatives  of  a 
circus  publicity  man  would  be  absurd  and  disas- 
trous. On  the  other  hand,  some  advertisers,  fearing 
to  appear  undignified  or  sensational,  actually  say 
nothing  that  is  interesting  in  their  announcements. 

(2)  Is  your  advertisement  specific  ?  If  it  lacks 
individuality,  an  advertisement  helps  competitors 
as  much  as  it  does  the  institution  which  is  paying 
for  it.  To  find  out  whether  or  not  an  advertisement 
is  specific  or  merely  generic,  substitute  the  name  of  a 
competitor.  If  the  advertisement  is  just  as  good  for 
a  competitor,  it  lacks  individuality.  A  specific  ad- 
vertisement meets  conditions  squarely  as  they  are, 
not  as  they  ought  to  be.  It  gives  a  definite  reason 
for  demanding  the  prospective  customer's  immediate 
attention,  and  justifies  its  existence  from  the  view- 
point of  the  advertiser. 

It  should  so  concentrate  attention  on  the  article 


BUILDING  AND  TESTING  105 

advertised  that  the  reader  will  be  completely  ab- 
sorbed in  and  unconsciously  obtain  a  clear  idea  of 
what  the  story  tells  for  the  reader's  benefit,  rather 
than  be  impressed  by  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been 
told.  If  the  cleverness  of  wording,  or  a  too  challeng- 
ing illustration  divert  the  reader's  attention  from  the 
article  itself,  the  advertisement  is  a  failure. 

Many  manufacturers  have  frankly  stated  that  there 
was  nothing  in  what  they  made  that  could  not  be 
honestly  claimed  by  a  number  of  their  competitors. 

They  beheved  it  impossible  to  prepare  advertise- 
ments that  could  be  approved  under  the  test  of  "Is 
it  specific.'' " 

The  clever  copy  writer  has  presented  points  that 
might  truthfully  be  claimed  for  all  manufacturers 
in  such  a  novel,  forceful,  and  convincing  way  that  they 
impressed  the  reader  as  being  individual  to  the  ad- 
vertiser. 

Thus,  if  an  article  of  merchandise  lacks  strikingly 
individual  points,  it  is  often  possible  for  the  copy 
writer  to  feature  minor  points  so  strongly  that  they 
are  invested  with  the  quahty  of  specific  distinction 
in  the  consumer's  mind. 

Should  others  follow  the  advertiser's  lead  and  em- 
phasize the  same  points,  they  stamp  themselves  as 
imitators  or  followers.  The  position  of  the  pioneer 
is  often  strengthened  by  efforts  of  competitors  who 
endeavor  to  divide  honors  with  him.  The  public 
instinctively  turns  away  from  the  man  who  claims 
the  credit  due  another. 


106  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Most  people,  if  asked  to  name  the  highest  moun- 
tain in  Colorado,  would  say  "Pike's  Peak."  But  the 
fact  really  is  that  there  are  twenty-six  that  are 
higher.  No  one  could  estimate  how  many  pages 
have  been  written  about  Pike's  Peak,  or  how  many 
times  its  name  has  been  mentioned  in  magazines, 
newspapers,  or  by  word  of  mouth;  but  all  agree  that 
in  that  way,  and  that  way  only,  has  it  acquired  its 
distinction — a.  quality  that  is  specific  in  the  sense  of 
this  test — in  relation  to  all  other  Colorado  mountains. 

There  are  many  articles  that  are  really  staples 
and  are  known  only  by  their  trade  names.  No  one 
knows  whether  there  are  twenty-six  or  more  equally 
good  ones.  The  consumer's  preference,  which  is  a 
mixture  of  experience,  familiarity  and  friendliness, 
is  the  manufacturer's  biggest  asset. 

(3)  75  it  forcible  ?  An  advertisement  must  al- 
ways appeal  to  sentiment  to  be  forcible.  There  can 
be  no  impulse  to  action  unless  one  wants  to  do  what 
is  suggested  in  the  advertisement. 

Reason,  logic,  and  analysis  never  have  and  never 
will  create  desires.  At  most  they  merely  justify 
action  prompted  by  desire.  The  buying  impulse 
must  be  aroused  to  action  through  an  appeal  to  senti- 
ment if  an  advertisement  fulfils  its  mission. 

An  advertisement  should  be  written  with  due  re- 
gard to  the  viewpoint  of  the  purchaser.  "How  is 
it  made?"  does  not  interest  him  so  much  as  "What 
will  it  do  for  me?"  It  is  often  well  to  humor 
pretended  motives,  and  subtly  to  suggest  the  real 


BUILDING  AND  TESTING  107 

ones.  Many  a  piano  is  bought  for  another  purpose 
than  to  develop  the  musical  talent  of  a  family. 
The  purchase  actually  marks  its  social  advancement 
from  the  bread-winning  state  to  the  possession  of  a 
recognized  luxury. 

Suggestion,  the  most  potent  element  of  personal 
salesmanship,  is  utilized  no  less  effectively  on  the 
printed  page.  A  father  who  beheves  that  the  pos- 
session of  a  diamond  would  foster  in  his  daughter  a 
love  of  display  and  extravagance  will  not  buy  her 
one;  but  he  might  be  won  over  by  the  suggestion 
that  in  no  other  way  could  he  make  so  concrete  and 
permanent  an  expression  of  the  sentiment  he  enter- 
tains for  her.  It  is  often  a  devious  mental  route 
which  leads  to  the  purse-strings  of  the  pubhc. 

The  leaders  of  the  masses  have  one  distinguishing 
characteristic  in  common — they  are  confident  in 
aflBrmation.  The  advertiser  must  at  all  times  and 
under  all  conditions  maintain  an  authoritative  tone. 
No  one  beheves  a  man  whose  advertisements  show 
that  he  does  not  beheve  in  himself. 

Yet  too  wanton  an  exhibition  of  self-confidence  is 
dangerous.  The  pubhc  will  side  with  a  man  who 
demonstrates  his  leadership,  but  it  cannot  be  bull- 
dozed. The  results  of  advertising  are  dependent 
upon  the  voluntary  action  of  free  people;  threats, 
scares,  or  pessimistic  utterances  never  make  friends 
or  customers.  Optimism  is  a  confidence-inspiring 
tonic.  The  optimist  who  is  tempered  by  self-control 
is  the  successful  advertiser. 


108  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

A  trademark  indicates  that  each  advertisement 
containing  it  is  one  of  a  series,  and  that  the  use  of 
advertising  space  is  the  established  poHcy  of  the 
house.  In  no  other  way  can  a  merchant  win  con- 
fidence or  estabHsh  so  thorough  a  credit  with  the 
public  as  by  advertising  prudently  and  persistently. 
Confidence  is  a  plant  of  slow  growth,  and  persistency 
is  its  sun,  rain,  and  fertilizer.  A  persistent  advertis- 
ing campaign  covering  a  period  of  three  years  in 
legitimate  publications  will  seldom  fail  to  produce  a 
"good- will"  asset  worth  at  least  as  much  as  the 
amount  of  money  spent  for  space  during  that  time. 

Affirmation,  optimism,  self-reliance,  persistence, 
and  suggestion  are  all  characteristic  of  forcible 
expression  and  can  produce  results  not  justified  by 
reason,  logic,  or  common-sense,  but  of  course  I  am 
not  advocating  such  preparation  but  merely  empha- 
sizing the  necessity  of  bringing  to  bear  all  forces  prop- 
erly coordinated. 

(4)  Is  it  plausible?  The  word  "plausible"  has 
been  in  bad  company.  Its  exact  meaning  is  "to  tell 
a  story  so  that  it  is  most  acceptable  to  the  reader." 
All  advertising  should  serve  the  reader.  Therefore 
the  truth  should  be  plausibly  told  if  in  that  way  the 
reader  can  most  easily  grasp  it. 

It  is  not  enough  that  an  advertisement  tell  the 
truth.  The  reader  must  believe  before  it  can  bring 
results.  Good  advertising  copy_is  100  per  cent, 
salesmanship,  not  125  per  cent,,  which  the  wise 
buyer  discounts  at  once,  nor  75  per  cent.,  the  weak 


BUILDING  AND  TESTING  100 

refuge  of  negatively  honest  men  who  endeavor  to 
conceal  their  own  shortcomings  by  decrying  others. 
One  hundred  per  cent,  salesmanship  is  the  ability 
to  state  in  an  interesting  and  convincing  (hence  plaus- 
ible) manner  all  the  desirable  features  of  an  article. 

Timely  advertising  inspires  the  belief  that  the 
advertiser  is  wide  awake.  From  the  general  trend 
of  events,  successful  general  advertisers  forecast 
conditions  for  the  various  seasons  of  the  year,  and 
make  plans  months  ahead.  The  retailer  should  do 
likewise  as  far  as  possible.  A  patchwork  campaign 
constructed  from  day  to  day  in  a  hit-or-miss  fashion 
can  never  bring  satisfactory  results. 

Should  the  advertiser  wish  to  take  advantage  of 
some  unusual  event,  it  is  very  easy  to  substitute  a 
piece  of  timely  copy  which  will  be  in  harmony  both 
with  what  has  preceded  and  with  what  is  to  follow. 
In  conducting  an  editorial  or  a  feature  campaign, 
a  newspaper  is  almost  sure  to  create  and  crystallize 
a  sentiment  upon  which  an  advertiser  can  "cash  in'* 
by  adapting  his  copy  to  the  timehness  of  the  reading 
pages.  Plausibility  is  offering  the  public  what  it 
wants  just  when  it  ought  to  want  it  most  in  a  manner 
that  is  most  acceptable. 

Galileo's  bold  assertion  that  the  world  was  round 
has  been  criticised  by  some  as  being  untimely,  and 
it  certainly  was  if  we  judge  it  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  state  of  mind  of  people  of  his  day. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  a  good  advertising  man 
could  have  shown  GaHleo  how  to  announce  his  truth 


110  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

in  a  plausible  manner  so  that  lie  would  have  won 
honors  by  it  and  not  have  been  compelled  to  recant 
to  maintain  the  social  status  of  his  family. 

The  Pope  might  have  been  approached,  convinced, 
and  then  given  the  first  opportunity  to  make  a 
pubhc  announcement. 

Certainly  Galileo  would  have  fared  better  per- 
sonally had  he  followed  the  well-established  and 
authoritative  channels  of  dispensing  knowledge  to 
the  people  rather  than  to  have  antagonized  them. 
His  truth  needed  plausibility  in  its  presentation, 
and  modern  advertising  clearly  recognizes  this  and 
makes  the  most  of  it. 

(5)  Is  it  sincere  ?  The  best  advertisement  is  one 
which  unconsciously  influences  a  reader  to  buy, 
honestly  feeling  that  he  or  she  has  followed  his  or 
her  own  judgment. 

The  advertisement  with  an  earnest  and  sincere 
message  burning  through  it — no  matter  how  crudely 
the  idea  may  be  expressed — will  command  a  respect- 
ful hearing. 

Sincerity  is  shown  in  the  use  of  simple  sentences 
and  terse,  frank  statements.  There  must  be  an 
absence  of  aU  obscurity  or  indirectness. 

Clearness  of  expression,  fidelity  in  illustrations, 
accuracy  in  descriptions,  are  all  the  natural  result  of 
a  sincere  state  of  mind  on-the  part  of  the  advertiser. 

Sincerity  is  something  that  cannot  be  assumed.  It 
must  actually  exist,  and  where  this  is  the  case  the 
matter  of  expression  can  be  largely  left  to  itself. 


BUILDING  AND  TESTING  111 

For  immediate  dollars-and-cents  returns  from  ad- 
vertising, plausibility  may  be  placed  before  sincerity. 
Yet  mere  plausibility  in  advertising,  no  matter  how 
skillfully  it  has  been  utilized,  has  not  built  one 
genuine  success. 

Plausibility  backed  by  sincerity  finds  in  the  field 
of  advertising  unlimited  possibilities  of  expression 
for  the  creative  spirit  of  this  age  of  industrial  activity. 

It  might  be  safely  stated  that  plausibility  and 
sincerity  cover  the  whole  range  of  advertising  ex- 
pression. 

Assuming  that  sincerity  covers  a  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  a  desire  to  present  only 
the  merits  of  the  article  to  be  advertised,  it  could  be 
claimed  that  making  one's  story  acceptable  to  the 
prospective  customer  was  all  that  was  necessary. 

Plausibility  in  its  fullest  sense  requires  a  complete 
appreciation  of  the  needs  and  desires  (both  active 
and  latent)  of  possible  buyers,  and  a  mastery  of 
ways  and  means  by  which  they  can  be  aroused, 
stimulated,  crystallized,  and  then  persistently  sus- 
tained in  the  form  of  active  demand. 

The  subject  of  advertising  embraces  a  constant 
study  of  human  wants,  needs,  sentiments,  aspira- 
tions, and  desires,  and  the  acquiring  of  skill  in  cater- 
ing to  them. 

It  gives  opportunity  for  the  use  of  the  best  abilities 
with  which  mankind  is  endowed  or  which  may  be 
acquired. 

It  is  not  a  pastime  for  the  mediocre,  the  timid, 


112  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

the  pessimistic,  or  those  who  are  willing  to  devote 
anything  less  than  complete  consecration  of  abilities 
and  powers  to  the  work  in  hand. 

REFERENCES  ON  CHAPTER  XI 

So  far  as  I  can  remember,  the  word  "advertising" 
does  not  appear  in  Barrett  Wendell's  fascinating 
book  with  the  uninviting  title  of  "English  Composi- 
tion." I  question  if  any  book  has  more  in  it  of 
direct  value  to  advertising  men  than  this  work  of 
Harvard  University's  Professor  of  English,  pub- 
lished by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons  (New  York,  1891). 
It  contains  many  paragraphs  as  pertinent  as  this: 

"Style,  the  expression  of  thought  and  feeling  in 
written  words,  must  affect  readers  in  three  distinct 
ways — intellectually,  emotionally,  and  aesthetically. 
To  the  qualities  in  style  which  produce  these  effects 
we  give  the  names  Clearness,  Force,  and  Elegance. 
But  any  piece  of  style  presents  to  the  eye  only  those 
arbitrary  marks  that  common  consent,  good  use,  has 
made  significant  of  those  arbitrary  sounds — words — ■ 
that  good  use  has  made  significant  of  certain  more 
or  less  definite  phases  of  thought  and  emotion.  The 
qualities  of  style,  then,  can  be  conveyed  from  writer 
to  reader  only  by  means  of  the  way  in  which  these 
black  marks  are  chosen  and  arranged — in  brief, 
only  by  our  choice  and  composition  of  words.  In  a 
given  piece  of  writing,  then,  we  may  discover  why  a 
given  quality  is  present  or  absent  by  analyzing  the 
elements  presented  to  the  eye." 


CHAPTER  Xn 

APPLICATION  OF  THEJ  FIVE  TESTS 

IN  ORDER  that  the  reader  may  have  at  hand 
definite  material  to  which  he  can  apply  the 
principles  outlined  in  the  previous  chapters, 
and  particularly  the  five  tests  given  in  Chapter 
X,  characteristic  newspaper  advertisements  of  John 
Wanamaker  of  Philadelphia,  Marshall  Field  &  Com- 
pany of  Chicago,  Filene's  of  Boston,  William  Taylor 
&  Son  of  Cleveland,  B.  Altman  &  Company,  Saks 
&  Company,  and  the  Rogers  Peet  Company  of  New 
York  City,  and  the  Tobey  Furniture  Company, 
Chicago  and  New  York,  are  given  here.  I  have 
purposely  chosen  firms  whose  advertising  is  gener- 
ally considered  to  be  the  best  in  the  retail  field. 

In  each  case  the  test  of  institutionalism  is  justified 
by  the  tone  of  the  advertisement  as  a  whole. 
,     .    .  By    years    of    patient    and    continuous 

Institution-        1         ,  •  •  1  •      1  1 

alismas  advertismg  each  one  of  these  stores  has 
^Tnci^  built  up  a  constituency  which  possesses 
paper  Ad-    individual  and  distinctive  characteristics, 

vertisements         ■,  ^      ,  e  f  l 

and  responds  to  a  form  of  announcement 
that  has  stood  the  test  of  time,  and  suggests  con- 
fidence because  of  famiharity. 

118 


An  Interesting  Sale  of 
Women's  Summer  Blouses 

In  attractlTe  styles  and  socli  desirable  lingerie 

fabrics  as  batiste,  organdie  and  voile, 

at  the  exceptional  prices  of 

$L00,    $2.25,    $3.75,    $4.65  &   $6.75 

In  the  refutar  stock  of  the  Women's  Blouse 

ol  imported  slllc  Jersey,  in  all  the  desirable 
sliades.    Ttieae  Blouses  are  particularly  deslr> 
able  for  golf ,  tennis,  motor  and  general  sports 
or  tiaTei  wear. 

Today  and  Tomorrow 
the  last  two  days  tdt 

Men's  High  &  Low  Shoes 
at  these  reductions 

Button,  lace  and  Blucher  styles,  in' patent  eoltskin 
gun  metal  calfskin,  black  and  brown  vici  kid.  anc 
ton  Russia  calf.    And  eveiy  pair  made  on  a  new  last 
especially  designed  for  us,  that  these  Shoes  maj 
confonn  to  current  footwear  modes  and  yet  U 
readily  distinguishable  from  the  average. 

SS  High  and  Uw  Shoes  at  U-tS' 
U  Hish  and  Low  Shoes  at  $2.95 

Men's  Duster  Sale 

In  our  Motor  Apparel  Dept.— today 
J7.00  Dusters  at  $4.75 

Malui     tnd     natural      lian      dwtere      W      •«o      atrHca. 
•bU     qiulitjt,     la     iii>(le     *■<     doubU      bKMUii     mo^U 

$13.00  Dusters  at  %7M 

Imported  miucm  in  gny  »a6  Urn  a&d  .mo^sin    fa  «*dlq« 
ftty.    a»4«    u    titin    ufk    ix    doaUa     kRWiad    |sa<lel>. 

l.Altman&Ql0. 

The  Corset  Department 

hat  ready  lor  selection  a  large  and  compre- 
hensive   assortment    of    Summer  Corsets, 
made  of  the  thin  materials  indispensable  for 
warm -weather   wear.      Among    them    are 
Corsets   of  opcnworic  material,   plain   and 
figured  batiste  and  all-over  embroidery;  also 
of  extremely  light-weight  tricot  and  tricotlne. 
These  Corsets  are  shown  in  the  regular  stock 
at  prkes  ranging  from       .       $1.00  to  15.00 
Summer    Brassieres     and    Soutien-gorges, 
made  of  net  (with  shields),  cambric,  all-over 
embroUery,  silk  tricotlne,  etc.,  are  shoWn  in 
the  regular  stock  of  the  Corset  Department 
vasiously  priced       .       .        at  50c.  to  $8.50 

Veij'  special  for  today  and  tomorrow— JJea'i 

$1.50  Negh'gfee  Shirts 
pleated  and  plain 

at  95c 

No  IJf-wsy  merit  about  these  value»— they  «re  ilmpbr 
^at.       Made  of  Madraa,  ptreale,  crepe  and  meic<ri*e< 
abrin,  in  a  <plendid  asaortmcnt    of  deaigna  and  colon. 

Extraordinaiy  sale  toda}'  and  tomorrow  of 

Men's  $6.00  Blanket 
and  Terry  Bath  Robes 

at  $2a85 

Ner — not    resuirecled    patlema — but    new,    anapp; 
merchandise,   marked  at  a  apecial  price  for  a  one- 
day  drive.      A  splendid  assortment  of  deaigna 

FURS.  RUQS  AND  DRAPERIES 
STORED  IN  VAULTS  ON  THE  PREMISES 

aelephone  7000  Murray  Hill) 
nH  JUmr.  344  ■«  354  Btnita.  Vm  «sdk 

Broadway  at  34th  Street 

FZDEKATtON  OF 
WOM£NS  CLUBS: 


MARSHALL  FIELDgGOMPANY 


^§^£§^S^£^Srs=t!§    Women's  Summer  Dresses,  Hundreds,  in 
'^  a  Special  Sale  at  $10.00 

Our  Dew  Wabash  Avenue  Salesroom  for 
Wcmen's  Street  Dresses  (from  $5.00 
to  $2500)  has  been  open  but  ooe 
week.  Yet  during  that  time  thoa- 
•ands  of  the  women  of  Chicago  have 
Ttsited  it  drawn  here  by  the  excep- 
tional merchandise  beinj^  displayed 


ORIENTAL  RUGS- 

At  PricM  EUrd  !•  TvwIM  t  An  Tim 


Fine  China  Wedding  Gifts 

At  Rtdaced  Prices, 
$100  to  $25jOO. 

l»»  k«M>  r*4K*ll7  r<aiK«4  fo*  J>m  Wad<la« 
Atir«c1iT<lT  dMpkr*^  Ib  Mr  e««tT  loMtad 

Ohr*  DalMi    t*  a  piMa  €<  Dtm^m  or  Sal*  af 


CUT  GLASS-LOW  PRICED 

S;<d>b  aa  CUb  br  Jan  BrUa 


Only  Seven  Days  More  of  the 
Clearance  of 

COWAN  FURNITURE 

The  opportunity  for  securing  pieces  of  this  htfh 
grade  Furniture  at  unprecedented  prices  is  raptdly 
drawing  to  ^close.  The  wants  of  the  lutur*     . 
should  be  aaliapated  this  week,  as  the  ot>- 
'lably 


^ 


pcftunity  will    pr-.,-»., 
nerer  be  presented  again.  1 
Furniture  for  erery  part  I 
of  th«  home  is  represented 


The  Ribbon  Sale  Is  at  Its  Height 


A«nH>T*'   •»   I 
la  UaTU4  tha  ••Ura  tUck  M 


I  ara   daptaUd  iWr  m 


ANNOUNCING 
mdrr  chads  roorvsAK 


rUfmUmlttmti^  » 


TaiU.  TanL  3Sc 


Gndsatkn  Gi(U      WUo  Ha^ltr  Cr«»« 

-      Ik.  <in.        G«.4.''  ™ta 


The  Newest  Ideas  in 
Smart  Blouses 


Linciis  for  Wedding  Gifts. 


Better  telephone  Oxford  1  and  have  your  Furs  put  in  Safe  Cold  Storage  at  once 


^^    ALL  ABOARD  FOR  SUMMER    ^ 


Wbai  are  yovi  stuomer  plans-^beacb.  monn* 
tains,  or  a  cool  piazza  with  a  turn  on  the  links  or 
a  mn  in  the  car  for  the  cooler  boors?  ^Hfhatertr 
they  are,  this  store  stand8*read7  as  nsual  with  the 
right  doChcs  at  the  ri^  price. 


In  this  progressive  «pedalt]r  siore,  Sammar  is 
a  separate  season*  not  a  **tag-on**  to  Spring.  0«r 
stocks  show  it.  Scan  theae  columns  of  store 
news, in  vain  for  even  a  mentioq  of  anything  that 
is  not  entirely  summery 


Saving  Money  Is  Pleasant,  Even  on 
Qass  Day  and  Commencement  Dresses 

TomorTOw  one  can  come  into  the  womoi's  dr«8  shop  and  buy  a  charming 
lingerie  frpck  for  a  Oafla  Day  campus,  a  while  net  Commenccmeot  dirtt,  or  a  silk 
dn«  for  a  ClaM  Day  a^nad  for  much  less  than  such  dresses  usually  cost,  even 


$15  for  $25  Lingerie  Oretm 

Tbe  firtt  emlroidery-bonfcred  ToiU  Anmm 
■wt,  bave  M«n  wiUi  tbe  very  long  Bev  tunic 
Saabn  of  main  ribbon. 

$15  for  $25  Net  Commencemeia 
Dres$€$ 

Tbaw  an  Um  rauh  of  kkm  rmj  cW*«r 

dcflifTUDg.    Th4  »kirt  W^MKCtaKOO  of  OoVDDMv 

MKh  kSorter  than  th*  om  ttxTva; 

bM  (loep  "bersm"   taik,  sMfa  k  tatfrta- 


,  VMM  to  t»it  fXKb  M  I«i7.  MO. 

Figured  Crepe  and  VdvH  Ribbon 
Made  Thii  Vntuud  Dreu  at  $15 

Onlj    crwtlier   drcMM.    w«    b«li0v«,    hare 
'  '  mg  tunic  oixl  wide 
ribbon.       Mohic 
cnpfl    In   roatt,   groea, 
blu«  or  black.    Vmaiij  ra.£0. 

$18.50  for  $25  Crepe  de  Chine 
**Qu4ik9r^*  Dre$ses 

TUt  dim  b  Bot&bk  for  the  new  pointed 


"^      "Ow***!"  coTw  < 


blue*.    (Ttmrn,   brovoa. 


Women's  $40  New  Silk  Suits,  $25 


The  roodel  is  the  very  < 
suits  ar«  of  faille,  in  black,  nav 
coat  is  held  in  with  big  silk  cor 

$25  lieu  Blue  Ooth  Suiu  at  $15 

One  is  th«  DK»t  mcceasful  pWn-tailored 
nMdel  w«  hBYS  bad  at  tK.  It  it  o(  Mrg«.  wlUi 
battoa-trinub«d  coat  and  tunic  dirt.  The 
other  1b  Tcry  aimiW  to  what  the  FsU  soiU  will 
be.  It  is  of  outgo  and  poplin  with  kxv  Bu»- 
■aa  tooic  and  Paiqi^D  ooat-UlL 


Crest  Brand  Underwear 


Renova  Qeaosing 


June  Sale  of  Aprons 

S9c  for  $1  Apron  Set* 

Pacala,  itaclMH  «■<  Aiiaimj  eovcnS  apnoB,  vftt  cap  to  aatck 
ellnrtirrfT  uinMiii:  ybov  tlaavMi  baUoa  b  iraot. 

79e  for'$1^5  Dre»$  Aprons 

■^  Bm^  Si  vakti  tliiiMi  •levvcii  colond  mabraiivj  pipiaf.    SiM 
STlaU. 

$i  for  Tiew  Rtverkible  Dreu  Apront 

«•  W  •««  with  ritlw  M»  fa  hoot,  civtnc  <lo«l>k  iwiMi  adiaMabI* 
Ml    M«iaaaa«c«nMdna»patUnM.    SuwMtoU. 

IJJ9  /or  $i.75  N«te  Crep«  Apron  Set* 


kFil«M(dea-   DaietTn 


Girb' 

Mosliit   Dreases 


•ye  lac*  for  giiit  of  C  to 
H  ara  only  S2. 

Dotted  muslin  "tjw" 
dnsK«  with  low  aashea, 
button  from  neck  to  hem. 
«  to  14  yaan.    f3. 

Growtog  -giria  of  13  to 
17  yean  for  whom  wo 
are  going  to  tnach  pnina 
to  gat  right  drv«K9, 
may  bava  flowered 
mustin  taah  drcaeea  and 


Satin  Hats  Are  Gleaming 

In  the  MilHne^  Shop 

White  nth  or  Uusb-roae  Mtin  hats,  d««k«d  with  litUe 
vmgs  or  wound  anxmd  with  a  soft  pink  bird-bmut. 

PAT4AMA5  ware  nevtr  mem  breaittible.  H<!re  ai«  U( 
anil  tiiUe  ones;  sasbMl  or  winged,  aU  as  cool  aa  they  look. 

KNOX  lailon.  horse>hatr  Uce  bate  and  soft  crepe  b»ta 
an  ether  tokens  of  Suouuer  in  the  Millin«ry  Shop. 

Yoa  can  pick  op  a  chamung  Sumioer  bat  ben  for  •qt' 
pcUngly  little.     t£  and  t7.W- 


wtule  organdie   and   the 


whites. 


The  "Eleanor  Wilson"  Cape 


b^  trou«aeau.    Black  satm.  linf|}  with  black  and  i^te  atripa 
•ilk,  tied  wiQi  long  hkU  that  pass  arfvod-tbe  ~~"' 

Capes  Have  Come 
to  Stay 

Keta  are  dreas  eapea  anl  sport 
eapea.  and  capes  that  can  go  anywhen; 
in  satin,  duvatyne,  checks,  epooge  or 


have  been  selling  in  moire  at  $40.    These 
blue,  light  blue  and  taupe.    The  fullnees  of  the 
Long  tunic  skirU 

$15  Cool  UncnSuiU  for  $10 

One  bai  kimono  rieere  coat  and  long 
'rablail"  tumc  Another  baa  Medid  coUar, 
hoed  with  whltQ  piqua,  and  thrM-tirr  skirt. 
WHITE  SERGE  SUITS  are  rndy  at  VIS 
to  MO. 


Five-Dollar  Tub  Skirts 


la  of  ftoc  cordi^ae,  with  tailond  hii>-fkruoce.    Thn  oths  is  a 
Cowock  Qnen  with  kng  "apron"  tunic.    Each  ia95. 
Other  Tub  Skiita  are  92  to  Vlff-SO. 


Summer  Sale  of  Negligees 


c  in  crepa  ia  chioa. 
$1.50  for  $2  flowered  Crepe  Kimono* 

St«*  .n  K  u>  M  -nrhet.    tbn  m  ouwoaii   mA  and  rfaa 

$1.95  for  $2.9$  Figured  Voile  Negligee* 

iBsr  Md  MrfTa  «<  BuU  sad  aai-bilM  Mbuok. 

$5  for  $8.95  Crinkled  Crepe  de  Ckbte. 

1i«tit  c<  dull  <aL>n.    Loom,  wisppy  •ad  ilu^  whh  fioa  |M 
Ikbuiof  ata 


'■^vzJE--   Wm.  Taylor  Son  &  Co.     •--- 


Uuir  i^aatf  atflm.  '. 


^  .I^*?.'t".     Men:$20fo,ablueserg=suit. 


a»»  pur  or  trouKn  oukM  tte  mImI  oaUoc 


M>^  ll-K  M  ILM 


■Ata.  *tlt«  vKk  I 


t  tea«  ui4  bv*  A  delifhtfnl  eoUeetion  of 

:T^?T^1  Sn^'mj^coS   Keeping  up  the  variety  in 

-n^  M«rt»«f  boys'  suits  at  $8.50  and  $10 


it  woat  tM  •drinbU  to  wait 
loctf  b«fim  aelMtuf  what 
yaa'r*.  ffofac  to  nod. ' 


2  r»akm.  gxriog  coapl«<a 


Siae-c«[»  an^  tma  110  mod  l._  . 

Norfolk  ~iu  m  .oicn  vhI  doU*  for  .»«yd.y  ..rria. 


M«U«riM«MtM) 

nc    lUarMlen 


Doesn't  hot  weather  make 

your  boys*  needs  apparent? 


TTBtrftasied.  Wide  briiBSi«<J         B*tittar«A  ba^,  Kc  Wa.  tta      ^^ 
Ata  tkat  Br*d  but  a  ImiCtAd      **^  **■  tttmtUm  for 


t  oc«d  but  s  ksiCtad 
b«ad  or  tcftrf  to  iD«k«  thea 
copiplMe  for  wew. 


/iMT         for  your  eaay 


L-onr^ 


UBBOHSHOWUb 

Odd>-«iui-«Bda  a/  *  maa^ 
«7T«-t«w  "^y*^  QjabUaa  op  to  J5e. 
tiaarn  £»•■     ondcrphMd  bcfiiuiing  todcy. 


WaabaMa    hau       Ma    t«    I 


nUC  OtOTES  SPECIAL 
A  aakcr'a  cloot-out  of  two 
qnatiliaiof  ctbow.lmfth 
wbite  ailk  (Io*m  tnra«d  ovtr 
to  row  b«fiaiuof  todaj 
lot  a  oatr.  <Sc  aoalltr   DmM^ 


BAVD-BAM  ttJi 

A  special    lol  «f    featkor 

kand  Uea    will    b«    |ria<'^ 

on   aale    Saturday    moRung 

pne«d  SU5  iitatrad  of  tZSO 


-WOHZif'S  sTocEnros 


W0ICEH*8  uFiow-suira 

SOc    f or    6Sc    quality       A 
Daw  lol  pU»d  on  aale  today 


Boys'  and  GirU'  Vacation  time's 

tennis  and  play  kodak  time 

oxfords  0«t  tbv  moat  oat  of  Ms. 

Conromblc  alioaa  f or  t*.  *"  ^7*  •«*  *»y«. 

eatioo  day»  art  rtady  for  tfa*  ''"•k  ap  th«  two  o#w  k» 

ehiWrm  •'«k»  ■<*<J«d  to  th«  Eaataaa 

Taaata  aftoM  '■a'lj 


Kodak  supplies 

Filna.    platca    aod    fitoK 
^rka— aizaa  to  lit  aay  kodak 


SSESS-LDOai  LESS 


rm  WASH  oooM 

Black  aad  wbit*'  atripad 
«oilea  ar«  addtxl  to  Iba  Jitna 
•al*  b«riiiiiiDc  today  Tho 
proBtEi#BC«  of  atnpad  voilaa 
ibia  airaaoa   sukisg  tb«  uf 


[ow  (orlL    mtm  >  to  I  r«*n      VBITE  WALKD8  CKEPS 

^~~~"  aaU  bffuuiag  today.     50e  • 

JTMtfl  jQm«  «»A  pUtM  do.     yard  for  a  75c  unatily. 


Close-out  lots  of  ready-to- 
wear  garments  for  women 

Btnatndon  of  aprine  m«r-  Ma-y-bl'»a  aiohsJr    aktrt*^   U 

«baa<lia«  are  narked  at  radi-  bo!i«i  la  baada  ap^^Ji^'iatluB' 

cal  oaderpr^Ma  u  order  !•  stack  awir*  aktrt^  tlUa  lar 

cffc«t  a  (jnick  diapoaal — p»»-  »»''•*•  w  to  II'  M. 

irldmj  rery  profiubU  oppo»w  mAHJu'tl^  ^i^    '"^ 


JtTLT  PATTESirS 

Buiunck  f*ahioiia  for  Jul; 

arc  on  aala  in  eonplele  na» 

A  sale 
of  Turkish 
towels  begins 


•■  ""aaa  ttMB  tli  a  tH 


Now  for  the 

new  linoleum 

you  want 

Ao  eirarvHW  tato  ip^al 
Iftwrred  prieaa  with  ptratjr' 
for  rrcrybody  and  yoor 
eboke  of  a  big  rarirty  of  oav 


•  raH— rariiaHr 
I  rart-NCKlart]' 


raaA— racalartr 


I  wooieB  aHcetitic        C«at&  I 


a  tlS-«UaCr  ebacka  aa> 


.^iJsr.; 


About  new  outdoor 
tletpis>g  cots 

BuUI  t«r  Mtid  tonfort. 
Strong  iran  colUp«ib1«. 
ft«aie«,     coll    «pfui(« 


utSLO 


If 


Our  hands  have  be^n  ful 
these  last  weeks ! 

Once  again  our  customary 
business .  optimism  has  he^v 
jxBtified 

In  spite  of  foreboding  in 
Some  quarters  as  to  the  trend 
of  lousiness,  we  believed  that 
more  men  and  boys  than  ever 
xtould  want  substantial,  styl- 
ish clothing  at  fair  prices.. 

We  provided  A.  most  hb- 
eral  stock,  liberal  even  for 
us;  and  that  means  more  va- 
riety, more  ample  range  of 
si2es  than  mtet  clotibiers 
ever  saw; 

The  month  just  closed, 
■with,  its  predecessors,  has 
fully  justified  our  optimism 
T— our  business  has  shown  a 
very  healthy  and  satisfac- 
tory increase.^ 

So  we  enter  June  with  new 
enthusiasm,  with  renewed 
confidence  that  in  these  days 
of  much  Exaggeration,  sub- 
stantial quality,  generous  va- 
riety, fair  prices  and  "your 
money  back  if  you  want  it," 
are  more  appreciated  than 
ever. 

Everything  men  and  boy» 
wear. 

EoGEKs  Peet  CbMf.'enf, 

Tlir^e^osdwtf  Storet 

«t  at  at 

VtittnSL        IStbSt.  MtbSl. 


I  «*.  i«o-    kanna  ■•  K  au  as  M  • 


szc 


/F  A  STORE  HAVE  DIFFERENT  AND 
BETTER  STOCKS  ITS  GROWTH  IS  CERTAIN  L 


No  SkyrocketiiiA  $ile* 


NdoM  . 

Winlw  la  koUl^  IV  oWXtlW  uil 
(liter  tall  Btuon-Mi*  ataMlkr 

Wa«ii4otin<h«tMar«aiV<M*» 

If  ifl  poKfeMMi  hod  a 
|~rii.lii|n»  Ux    I 
6f  TtlQM,  th9  woold  «cii  earn*  to  louw 
thM  Of  atMdr  ddf-ttiit  itoia  •!• 

ndtarlr  ••llllif  M  £•  Vmt  rilht  vrlM 
fata  thctr  oTitatafc 


{<VW1 


.,  BulletuH-from  the 
Women'i  Fashion  Salotu 


•bHtt  M  M.1I  W  taa  »d  ivdM  at  ten  ta  |M. 


Samples  ofNcekteear 
--Hand  Embroidered 


ceMlAlnto  (cr. 


P^-^-xSsiS' 


Wonderful  Kroctu 
for  Little  Girl» 


>     Ai!>«iLi«»».»rS»mrly»«i<B 


Madetrsi  Lynch  Set^ 
N^V  a»  Jttpe  Rosea 

Mii^d  a^  — >fci  iM  ■■  II iMwJfcWft  Hal 


Camflle,  of  ^ttt 

^lili-ftttmnut  0iiRinttjf 
in  JBIacb  anfi  SBfrite 


Radical  Clianges  iir 
Silk  Sports  Coats 


Lov-Prlced  Dreu  L«a|ttba 
<   of  Summer  SUk» 


<>c«MkiaMMi  .. 


Clockf—nSafe  Choice 
for  Wedding  Gi/U^ 


Glove  Special 

•taSctoSfc 


AnesA  AiRO  Raga  for  Forth 
ond  Bung^w 


The^iankets  Our  Boya 
Are  Osing  in  Mexico 


tSMrfT  mittmi  br  th*  Bar  SooM  oriuh 

UulUd  SMM,  ta  MM  1>  till*  sun  laJT  h  : 


This  Fine  Furniture  Is 
So  Easy  to  Buy! 

h^aCTWji  lii».  •»  h-t  NM  *«Mr.  hpv^a 


**»«.  Ill  ^^  _ 

MyUi^  tf  a^iMl  Jam  ta  Uto  dlf.  m  »k*  hMyfct  «y 


A  Vital  Ouestion  About 
Ctiina  Sets  is — 


Of  SffWtil-MaUt. 


Nqw  for  Great  Savings  in  Women's  and  Girh'  Summer 
Clothing  in  the  State  on  the  Subway  Floor 


eoofish  to  bwm  It   Ali  sannentajn  tba  fl 
aewooabU  to  th«  mujota. 


^ 


TOBEY-MADE  FURNITURE 


TolwT-Maa* 

Funutura  ij 
•old  only  by 
til*  two 
atoTC*  of  tKU 
Coropttny.    Each 
piao  bean  tliu 
coarlc,  in  coppcri 


— is  die  achievement  of  an  artistic  ideal, 
rather  than  of  a  commercial  ambition.  It  b 
a  product  of  the  fine  arts,  rather  than  of  a 
manufacturing  process.  It  is  the  result  of 
a  sincere  and  dehberate  intention  to  attain 
perfection,  rather  than  of  a  strained  attempt 
to  outdo  business  competition. 

The  beauty  of  Tobey-Made  Furniture  is  not 
only  in  the  richly  grained  surfaces  of  the  rare 
woods  from  which  it  is  made,  or  in  the 
always  ^ceful  lines  of  its  designs,  or  in  the 
exquisiteness  of  its  carving  and  decorations. 
It  is  an  organic  beauty — that  of  perfect 
structure,  of  fine  workmanship  throu^out, 
of  consistent  execution  of  the  parts  which 
are  not  exposed  to  view. 

Tobey-Made  Furniture  is  the  fruition  of  two 
fenerations  of  experience  and  sin^e-purposed 
efibrt.  It  is  neither  experimental  nor  outre. 
It  represents  the  faithfiil  and  ri^d  applica- 
tion of  the  hi^est  standards  of  desi^  and 
craftsmanship.  It  has  lon^  been  in  service 
in  some  of  this  country's  finest  residences, 
and  exclusive  clubs. 

With  the  Tobey  Service  in  interior  decora* 
tion,  it  ofiers  an  opportunity  which  we 
earnestly  invite  you  to  investigate. 


Totey  Furniture  Company 


NEW  YORK  STORE,  Fifth  Avenue  at  53rd  Street 
CHICAGO  STOKE,  Wabaih  Avenn*  and  Wuhin^ton  Stnet 


120  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Even  a  man  with  only  a  limited  knowledge  of 
human  nature  can  easily  perceive,  after  reading  any 

fj^f^gg      one  of  these  advertisements,  the  general 

Have  characteristics  of  the  typical  person  who 
Character-    trades  at  that  particular  store.     Even  the 

'^^^"^  institutional  characteristics  of  the  cities 
themselves  are  reflected  in  the  manner  of  ap- 
proach. 

For  example.  New  England  thrift  and  widespread 
education  is  suggested  in  the  Filene  advertisement: 
"  Saving  Money  Is  Pleasant,  even  on  Class  Day  and 
Commencement  Dresses."  In  William  Taylor  & 
Son's  advertisement,  "630  Euclid  Avenue,"  is  a^subtle 
reminder  of  a  beautiful  street  which  has  made  Cleve- 
land famous  the  world  over. 

Where  eise  but  in  Philadelphia  would  the  im- 
portations of  Camille,  of  Paris,  and  "Radical 
Changes  in  Silk  Sports  Coats"  be  followed  by  "Low 
Price  Dress  Lengths?" 

What  is  more  characteristic  of  the  Chicago  spirit 

than  the  statement,  in  the  Marshall  Field  &  Company 

advertisement,    that   the    "New   Wabash 

Distinctive   Avenue    Salesroom    for    Women's    Street 

Chicago     Dresses  has  been  open  but  one  week.     Yet 

Character  .  * 

during  that  time  thousands  of  women  of 
Chicago  have  visited  this  addition." 

The  formal,  conventional  announcement  of  B. 
Altman  &  Company  is  characteristic  of  Fifth  Avenue. 
The  announcements  of  Saks  &  Company  and  the 
Rogers  Peet    Company  breathe   the   spirit   of  the 


APPLICATION  OF  THE  FIVE  TESTS       121 

"Great    White    Way."     The  Tobey  advertisement 

reflects  what   New   York   and    Chicago   possess   in 

common.     All   these    advertisements    are 

Sttrre  T«     institutional    in    reflecting   the    spirit    of 

"^^3      the    cities    in    which    they    are    located, 

the  group  spirit  of  the  particular  classes 

to  which  the  store  appeals,  the  institutional  spirit 

of  the  store  itself,    and   its  attitude  toward   that 

portion  of  the  public  which  it  sells. 

Most  advertisements  which  represent  positive 
constructive  work  fail  of  their  complete  mission  in 
that  they  would  be  equally  valuable  to  a  competi- 
tor, merely  by  changing  the  name  of  the  advertiser. 

But  each  one  of  the  advertisements  exhibited  here 
fully  meet  Test  No.  2,  "Is  it  specific?'*  All  of 
them  give  descriptions  and  prices,  except  the  Rogers 
Peet  Company,  which,  however,  emphasizes  partic- 
ularly the  one  thing  which  could  not  be  said  of 
any  of  its  competitors:     "Three  Broadway  Stores." 

Each  one  of  these  announcements  is  consistent  in 

illustration,   typography,   and   diction.     And   there 

can  be  little  doubt  that  in  institutions  so 

Dcfcl  weU  managed,  where  every  detail  is  care- 
CarefuUy    fuUy  planned,  so  that  the  best  interests 

Studied  »      ,  .n    1 

of  the  consumer  will  be  promoted  con- 
stantly, the  space  given  to  each  department  bears  a 
oonsistent  relation  to  the  business  as  a  whole. 

Test  No.  3,  "Is  it  Forcible?"  applies  with  special 
force  to  each  one  of  theseannouncements.  The  student 
of  advertising  can  well  afford  to  analyze  them  carefully. 


122  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

determining  to  what  extent  sentiment  has  been  ap- 
pealed to  by  these  conspicuously  successful  advertisers. 
Every  one  knows  that  each  one  of  the  firms  whose 
advertisements  we  have  reproduced  is  in  business 
to  make  money.     But  in  each  announcc- 
Is  Always    nient  the  thought  made  most  prominent 
th^  Basis    ig  service  to  the  consumer,  proving  that 

of  Action  .  ^  . 

each  advertiser  believes  that  sentiment  is 
the  mainspring  of  action  and  controls  the  expenditure 
of  money  more  often  than  do  reason  and  logic. 

Persistency  is  suggested  in  each  one  of  our  exhibit 
advertisements  by  the  trademark  signature  or  head- 
ing, which  is  individual  and  characteristic. 

My  readers  will  agree  with  me,  I  am  sure,  that  Test 
No.  4,  "Ib  it  Plausible?"  is  completely  met  by 
each  one  of  these  announcements. 

Test  No.  5,  "Is  it  sincere?"  also  is  satisfied. 
We  all  know  that  the  merchandising  methods  of  each 
one  of  these  advertisers  are  sound,  and  that  they 
make  only  claims  which  are  absolutely  backed  by 
their  merchandise. 

One  of  the  paradoxes  of  advertising  is  the  fact 
that  the  store  of  B.  Altman  &  Company,  at  Thirty- 
fourth  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  bears 

.  „  no  sign  whatever.  Yet  everybody  knows 
Without     it  is  Altman's  store. 

a  ign  rpj^^  fundamentally  sound  merchandis- 
ing ideas  according  to  which  Mr.  Altman  established 
this  business,  during  a  busy  and  thoroughly  useful 
life,  still  dominate  its  pohcy.     Its  advertising  de- 


APPLICATION  OF  THE  FIVE  TESTS       123 

serves  careful  study  by  those  who  believe,  as  I  do, 
that  the  true  mission  of  advertising  is  the  expression 
of  salesmanship  which  best  serves  the  buyer. 

Altman's  advertising  has  been  criticised  as  being 
too  dignified  and  lacking  characteristics  which  are 
supposed  to  be  essential  to  successful  advertising 
copy.  Yet  it  may  well  be  questioned  whether  to  the 
Altman  group  of  purchasers  any  other  form  of  an- 
nouncement would  be  so  pleasing. 


tr  yOO*''WANTTO  KNOW  All  ABOUT  THE  FAMOl/i. 


erMiii 

'Watches 

niANKEE'^nc  tuuArliAMX  or  me  One. 


K0BTH,mOtR«>OLL«.«RO   Ori>T.3S'-(>7.  (lIRriflNOT  SI  NEW  YOKK 


Thefirtt  InoersoU  vxitch  advertisement,  1899 
(Actual  size  J 

Mr.  William  H.  Ingersoll,  of  Robert  Ingersoll  & 
Brother,  has  favored  me  with  a  copy  of  the  first 
advertisement  which  his  house  put  out,  in  1893;  also 
with  a  full  page  in  the  Saturday  Evening  Post  of 
November  2,  1912,  which  he  beUeves  is  the  best 
advertisement  they  have  ever  published. 

The  history  of  the  Ingersoll  watch  is  particularly 
interesting,  because  it  opened  up  and  thoroughly 
The  Fine    occupied  a  new  field. 

2^^p-  No  one  in  position  to  speak  authorita- 
Magasine  tively  claims  that  the  Ingersoll  watch  has 
Advertising  jj^  ^^^  ^^y  interfered  with  the  sale  of 

watches  of  higher  price. 


124  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Many  persons  own  and  use  an  Ingersoll  watch  for 
hunting,  fishing,  and  other  purposes,  because  they 
do  not  care  to  risk  the  loss  or  misuse  of  a  higher- 
priced  article. 

The  first  advertisement  put  out  by  the  Ingersoll 
watch  is  interesting  as  a  bit  of  history;  the  full  page 
meets  all  the  five  tests. 

The  universal  and  constant  appeal  of  the  kodak  is 

splendidly  expressed  in  the  Eastman  Kodak  Com- 

The  Secret    P^^Y  announcement;  but  coupled  with  it 

of  Success    is  an  immediate  sales-impelling  suggestion 

m  Eastman       ■,  .  ■,  ■,  in*  ••i» 

Kodak      which  must  produce  denmte,  positive  busi- 

Advertising    j^ggg^ 

We  are  all  constantly  confronted  with  the  necessity 
of  deciding  what  to  give  as  a  wedding  present,  and 
the  assistance  which  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company 
gives  one  here  is  service  indeed. 

By  reproducing  the  package,  the  Old  Dutch  Cleanser 

announcement  makes  the  best  possible  use  of  the 

Keeping      salcs  talk  of  Specialty  men  who  call  on  the 

the  Demand   retail  trade,  house-to-house  canvassers,  and 

Actvee  for 

Old  Dutch    store  demonstrators. 

Cleanser  j^  ^^  manner  the  reference  to  definite 
specific  information  on  the  package  means  the  in- 
creased use  of  Old  Dutch  Cleanser  in  homes  where 
now  it  is  perhaps  bought  and  used  for  only  one 
purpose. 

The  American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Com- 
pany's advertisement  is  especially  commendable  for 
accompKshing  what  is  obviously  its  purpose.     Com- 


APPLICATION  OF  THE  FIVE  TESTS      125 

petition  between  telephone  systems  is  not  service 

to  the  ultimate  buyer  if  rates  are  reasonable  and 

. ,  ^.  .      the   scope   of    service   is   continually  en- 

Adveriising    ,  ,  •       ,  ,         . 

to  Enhance   larged.      As  long  as  the  American  Tele- 

'^"^  ^'  phone  and  Telegraph  Company  indicates, 
by  its  announcements,  that  it  desires  to  give  the  public 
service,  people  generally  are  much  more  apt  to  be- 
lieve that  it  is  sincere  in  that  purpose  than  they 
would  be  if  it  maintained  a  dignified  silence  on  the 
subject. 

The  general  effect  of  the  Swift  advertisement  is 

particularly  good,  although  I  am  generally  afraid  of 

Focussing     white  letters  on  a  black  background,  except 

Demand  on    for  a  brief  heading  in  large  letters.     Legi- 

Premium     bility  is  always  sacrificed,  to  some  degree 

^""^        at  least. 

This  advertisement  contains  valuable  information 
for  housewives.  The  specific  point  made  is  bound  to 
influence  the  buyer  to  specify  "Swift's  Premium 
Ham,"  instead  of  saying  merely  that  she  wants 
"some  good  ham." 

The  Hydraulic  Press  Brick  advertisement  deals 
with  a  tickUsh  subject  in  a  frank,  straightforward 
The  Subtle  manner.  The  expression  of  their  confi- 
Handling  of  dcucc,  in  putting  it  up  to  the  architect,  is 
Press  Brick  surc  to  imprcss  him  favorably.  The  ser- 
Advertising  ^j^^  offered  him,  by  giving  him  genuine 
information  in  the  booklets,  is  a  subtle  and  com- 
mendable appeal  for  the  good-will  of  house 
builders. 


126  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  National  Lead  advertisement  makes  a  most 

effective  appeal  to  sentiment.     They  are  fortunate 

.       ,  ^     in  that  there  exists  in  the  minds  of  painters 

Appeal  to  nil!  i 

theSenti-    generally  throughout  the  country  a  deep- 

jy^^     seated  prejudice  in  favor  of  lead  and  oil  as 

Lead       against    mixed    paints.     Their    desire    to 

Company  .         .         ,  .  .  , 

mamtam  this  sentiment  and  create  the 
impression  of  being  willing  to  give  valuable  advice 
when  requested,  is  good  business  judgment.  Their 
sales  prove  it. 

The  Quaker  Oats  advertisement  deserves  special 
commendation.  The  economy  of  the  25-cent  size 
is  emphasized,  without  sacrificing  the  ap- 
Advertise-  petizing  suggestion  of  good  oats  well 
^^RouT^^d^  cooked.  The  fine  type  in  the  small  para- 
graph reiterates  the  strong  points  of  pre- 
vious advertisements.  The  cumulative  effect  se- 
cured in  this  way  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  assets 
of  an  advertising  campaign. 

The  Holeproof  Hosiery  announcement  is  unusually 
effective  in  illustration,  two  women  and  one  man, 
thus  laying  particular  stress  upon  the  fact  that 
Holeproof  Hosiery  is  made  for  men  and  women, 
especially  "women." 

The  Ivory  Soap  advertisement  is  interesting  be- 
cause of  the  amount  of  space  given  to  the  illustra- 
tion. In  marketing  a  5-cent  soap  the  manufacturer 
must  create  an  atmosphere  of  quality  which  will 
offset  the  impression  made  by  its  low  price.  But  he 
sometimes  finds  this  difficult.     The  Proctor  &  Gam- 


APPLICATION  OF  THE  FIVE  TESTS       127 

ble  Company  has  shown  great  wisdom  in  illustra- 
tion. In  this  particular  advertisement,  illustra- 
tion and  text  strengthen  each  other;  each  adds 
to  the  force  of  the  other.  The  title  of  the  book- 
let suggests  increased  service  to  people  who  are 
already  using  Ivory  Soap  by  teaching  them  new 
uses  for  it. 

The  Hart,  Schaffner  &  Marx  advertisement  is  an 

interesting  departure  from  the  style  which  they  used 

The  Mail-    ^^^   many   years — the   ideal   figure,   in   a 

order  Idea    natural  posc,  his  clothes  showing  creases 

»n  General  i  •    i  i  i  i  i 

Publicity    and  wrmkles  wherever  they  occur  when 

AdverU^ng    ^ctuaUy  WOm. 

The  mail-order  idea,  i.e.,  to  give  more  informa- 
tion to  people  who  ask  for  it,  is  the  keynote  of  this 
particular  advertisement.  The  effect  of  a  fine 
style  book,  sent  to  all  who  write  for  it,  is  far-reach- 
ing. 

Inquiries  from  high-class  prospects  handed  to  the 
travelhng  salesmen  and  properly  used  by  them  in 
talking  to  local  dealers  are  bound  to  stimulate  the 
dealers  to  use  the  advertising  helps  which  Hart, 
Schaffner  &  Marx  sell  their  agents.  I  use  the  word 
"sell"  because  this  firm  sensibly  takes  the  stand 
that  advertising  material  which  is  given  away  free 
is  valued  accordingly.  A  price  which  partially 
covers  the  cost  of  production  is  the  best  assurance 
that  the  dealer  wili  make  the  most  effective  use 
of  it. 

As  examples  of  effective  mail-order  advertising  I 


128  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

have  reproduced  three  Sears,  Roebuck  &  Company 

announcements   (indicating  the   wide  scope  of  this 

Comments    successful  mail-order  institution)  and  one 

order  Ad-    ^^   ^^^  advertisements    of    the    National 

vertisemerus  Cloak  &  Suit  Company. 

The  latter  makes  the  most  of  the  word  "National"; 
also  of  its  New  York  City  location,  which,  to  a  large 
group  of  buyers,  stands  for  that  intangible  something 
called  "style." 

The  Sears-Roebuck  announcements  are  character- 
istics in  that  the  successful  mail-order  house  seeks, 
first  of  all,  to  get  the  catalogue,  their  real  salesman, 
into  the  hands  of  persons  who  have  been  induced  to 
express  a  desire  to  possess  it. 

I  have  reproduced  only  two  outdoor  advertise- 
ments. Mr.  0.  J.  Gude  told  me  that  he  considers 
the  White  Rock  electric  sign  the  best  thing  that  has 
ever  been  done  in  that  line. 

It  may  seem  difficult  to  apply  the  five  tests  to  an 
electric  sign,  a  bulletin,  or  a  poster,  but  I  recom- 
mend making  the  attempt,  for  the  reasons  previously 
given. 

Take  the  White  Rock  sign,  for  instance.  Is  it 
institutional?  It  stood  on  Long  Acre  Square,  the 
night  centre  of  New  York  City,  the  place  to  which 
come  the  largest  number  of  free  spenders  from  all  over 
the  United  States. 

White  Rock,  as  a  trademark,  has  been  associated 
with  sales  talks  and  educational  advertising  all  over 
the  United  States.     Its  reproduction  here  reiterates. 


APPLICATION  OF  THE  FIVE  TESTS       129 

reaffirms,  and  reinforces  all  that  has  been  said  about 
it.  The  night  life  of  New  York  City  is  an  institution 
in  itself,  and  the  White  Rock  sign,  with  its  brilliant 
light,  was  in  complete  harmony  with  this  institutional 
spirit. 

It  is  specific  (Test  No.  2)  because  the  White  Rock 
trademark,  in  its  pecuUar,  distinctive  form,  is  ac- 
curately reproduced. 

It  is  forceful  in  suggesting  a  high-ball,  because 
White  Rock  appeals  to  the  men  who  drink  high-balls 
as  well  as  t©  those  who  want  a  drink  which  does  not 
seem  cheap  or  puritanical. 

The  suggestions  of  persistency  and  authority  (both 
forceful  elements)  are  contained  in  the  size  and  loca- 
tion of  the  sign. 

Certainly  the  story  is  plausibly  told.  The  clock 
adds  much  to  the  acceptability  of  the  broad  sugges- 
tion, "for  all  time."  The  sincerity  of  an  institution 
which  spends  so  much  money  to  tell  its  story  is  not 
open  to  question. 

It  is  certain  that  the  orderly  and  systematic  ap- 
pHcation  of  these  five  tests  to  any  piece  of  printed 

„.   „.      matter,  or  to  any  announcement  of  any 

The  Five     ,        ,      .  .  T 

Teats  Can  kmd,  m  ncwspapcrs,  magazmes,  or  out- 
toAi^^Sd  door  display,  will  stimulate  greater  care  in 

of  Adver-  the  preparation  of  copy  and  more  attention 
"^  to  tie  interests  of  the  final  buyer,  thereby 
benefiting  the  advertiser's  business  as  a  whole. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ADVERTISING  AND  SELLING  THROUGH  THE  ORDINARY 
CHANNELS  OF  TRADE 

BROADLY  speaking,  there  are  five  recognized 
routes  by  which  merchandise  travels  from  the 
man  who  makes  it  to  the  consumer. 
Perhaps  the  most  important  is  (1)  from  manufac- 
turer to  wholesaler  or  jobber,  from  the  wholesaler  to 
the  retailer,  and  from  him  to  the  consumer. 

The  place  of  the  retailer  in  the  distributive  chain 

is  universally  conceded.     Mail-order  successes  prove 

that  many  kinds  of  goods  can  be  marketed 

Retailer—    by    mail.     But    the   retailer   will    always 

Sif  S  liandle  the  bulk  of  the  supply  of  the  Amer- 

Merchan-^   ican  family. 

The  retailer's  stock  is  complete,  if  he 
be  progressive  and  easy  of  access.  Merchandise 
can  be  seen  before  it  is  purchased.  Very  often  the 
credit  which  the  retailer  can  extend  is  a  real  service, 
which  brings  him  a  goodly  share  of  the  business  of 
his  trade  territory. 

The  position  of  the  wholesaler  may  not  be  so 
clearly  defined.  At  first  glance  it  might  seem  that 
the  toll  he  exacts  might  better  be  taken  from  the  sell- 

130 


ADVERTISING  AND  SELLING  131 

ing  price  and  his  service  dispensed  with.     It  would 
not  pay,  generally.     He  has  a  function,  and  is  in- 
dispensable in  most  cases.     He  keeps  a 
Functions    finger  on  the  pulse  of  local  conditions.    The 
oj  the      manufacturer  can  afford  to  sell  to  him  at 

Wholesaler 

less  than  the  price  to  the  retailer,  for  the 
service  the  jobber  renders  could  not  be  duplicated 
by  the  manufacturer  for  the  differential  he  allows 
him. 

The  wholesaler  buys  in  much  larger  quantities  than 
the  ordinary  retailer  does.  He  relieves  the  manu- 
facturer of  aU  work  and  detail  in  connection  with 
credits,  selHng  small  orders,  and  collecting  small 
accounts.  He  pays  for  what  he  buys  and  assumes 
entire  responsibihty  for  his  own  sales.  He  is  par- 
ticularly indispensable  to  the  manufactiu*er  of  an 
article  of  comparatively  small  consumption. 

In  such  cases  the  volume  of  sales  to  each  retailer 
is  so  small  that  it  would  be  foolish  for  the  manufac- 
turer to  do  business  with  individual  retailers,  either 
direct  or  through  salesmen. 

The  wholesaler  is  of  great  value  to  the  retailer 

who  does  business  on  a  small  amount  of  capital. 

His  stock  is  large.     Retailers  in  his  terri- 

Wholesaler   tory  cau  draw  upon  it  and  get  the  goods  at 

as  an  Aid  to  oncci  SO  that  it  is  not  necessary  for  them  to 

the  Retailer  i  i     •  n  •  i    i 

cumber  theu*  small  space  with  large  quan- 
tities of  each  of  the  lines  they  handle.  The  whole- 
saler is  safe  in  granting  credit,  because  he  is  on  the 
ground  and  knows  the  retailer's  financial  status. 


132  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSLTMER 

Some    manufacturers    selling    privately    branded 
goods  in  staple  lines  of  steady  consumption  give  the 
exclusive  sale  of  it  to  one  jobber  in  a  territory. 
-,,         This  gets  more  cooperation  from  the  jobber. 
Exclusive    for  if  he  has  the  right  kind  of  a  contract, 
"  ^     '^"  he  is  building  for  himself  as  well  as  for  the 
manufacturer.     The  exclusive  jobber  plan  has  been 
successful,  especially  when  supported  by  general  ad- 
vertising.    Specialties   of   small   consumption   have 
never  been  marketed  advantageously  through  ex- 
clusive jobbers;  this  method  is  feasible  only  when 
it  is  possible  to  divert  an  established  demand  to 
an  advertised,  trademarked  brand.     It  will  not  create 
a  market  for  a  novelty.     It  would  not  do  for  an  un- 
branded  article. 

Most  manufacturers  sell  to  all  reputable  jobbers. 

They  cannot  expect  these  jobbers  to  put  any  special 

j,j^       effort  into  selling  their  goods,  because  the 

AdveHiser    jobber  speciaHzes  on  distributing,  and  is 

ate  His     i^^t  equipped  for  creative  selling.     It  is. 

Market—    therefore,  the  business  of  the  manufacturer 

the  Jobber  ,  .  . 

/»  a       to  create  his  own  market — by  advertismg 
"'  to  the  consumer,  by  interesting  the  dealer 

with  specialty  work,  and  by  trade  journal  publicity. 

Almost  all  manufacturers  who  distribute  their 
products  nationally  through  the  wholesaler  do  some 
specialty  work  on  retailers  at  their  own  expense. 
The  orders  taken  by  the  specialty  salesmen  are  filled 
through  the  wholesaler,  who  takes  over  the  accounts. 
The  wholesaler  can  fill  the  orders  more  promptly,  he 


AD\'ERTISING  AND  SELLING  133 

is  better  equipped  for  looking  after  repeats,  and  he 
assumes  the  retailer's  accounts.  These  functions 
make  his  ser^^ce  worth  while  to  the  consumer,  re- 
tailer, and  manufacturer. 

Some  manufacturers  put  up  goods  under  jobber's 
private  brands.  But  it  militates  against  the  manu- 
facturer who  wants  to  sell  his  own  brands,  and  against 
the  one  who  sells  bulk  goods.  It  is,  nevertheless, 
legitimate  com{>etition. 

Many  manufacturers  sell  direct  to  the  retailer — the 
second  channel. 

The  manufacturer  who  sells  through  an  exclusive 
dealer  eliminates  the  wholesaler, 
o^.    ^       This  method  has  been  so  highly  devel- 

Retmler     opcd  in  counectiou  with  national  adver- 
tising in  mediums  of  general  circulation 
that  I  treated  it  in  a  separate  chapter. 

Selling  direct  to  all  dealers  can  scarcely  be  said  to 
lower  the  price  to  the  consumer,  or  to  lower  the  man- 
ufacturer's selling  cost,  or  even  to  increase  the  retail- 
er's profit.  For  the  manufacturer  must  take  care  of 
more  detail  in  his  office,  must  increase  his  travelling 
sales  expenses  in  most  cases,  and  must  assume  re- 
sponsibihty  for  retailers'  accounts,  which  means  more 
bad  debts. 

He  may  sell  to  retailers  direct  or  through  sales- 
men, and  pocket  the  wholesaler's  commission.  But 
if  he  is  after  volume  and  big  business,  I  doubt 
whether  he  would  save  money  by  eliminating  the 
wholesaler. 


134  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  advantage  of  direct  selling  is  that  it  gives  the 
manufacturer  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  selling  con- 

_  ditions,  a  closer  grip  on  his  own  business. 

for  Selling   It  givcs  him  the  master's  share,  and  the 

power  to  extend  substantial  cooperation,  if 

his  product  is  good  and  his  organization  can  maintain 

a  volume  of  sales  which  justifies  his  sales  expenditure. 

Some  manufacturers  sell  to  both  retailers  and 
wholesalers.  But  if  they  sell  to  a  retailer  in  the 
logical  trade  territory  of  a  wholesaler  to  whom  they 
have  also  sold,  there  will  surely  be  friction.  To  sell 
the  retailer  at  less  than  the  wholesaler's  regular  price 
to  him  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  ethics  of  the  trade. 

Large  retail  stores  that  go  direct  to  a  manufacturer 
and  demand  wholesale  prices  are  another  problem, 
if  the  latter  is  committed  to  the  general  policy  of 
selling  to  wholesalers. 

The  third  channel  is  through  a  third  middleman, 

the  manufacturer's  agent,  broker,  importer,  or  exporter, 

as  the  case  may  be.     He  buys  from  the 

Middleman   manufacturer  and  sells  to  the  wholesaler, 

~^oh^'    ^^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  retailer,  and  the  retailer 

Importer,    scUs  to  the  consumcr. 

xpo  er  rp^^  functions  of  the  importer  and  ex- 
porter are  fundamental.  They  get  goods  from  for- 
eign countries  and  ship  domestic  products  to  markets 
where  they  can  be  sold.  Only  the  largest  and  most 
complete  wholesale  or  retail  establishments  are  able, 
in  their  own  organization,  to  take  care  of  the  particu- 
lar service  of  the  specialist  importer  and  exporter. 


ADVERTISING  AND  SELLING  135 

He  sells  to  the  wholesaler.  He  is  seldom  equipped 
for  going  direct  to  the  retailer  or  the  consumer.  His 
margin  of  profit  is  small;  volume  is  vital  to  his  exist- 
ence.    Small  sales  do  not  interest  him. 

"Merchandise     broker,"     and     "manufacturer's 

agent,"    are   practically    synonymous    terms.     The 

merchandise  broker  differs  from  the  im- 

Agent  porter  or  exporter  mainly  in  that  his  work 
Practically  jg  intra-national  instead  of  inter-national. 

the  oame     -.^     . 

He  is  the  manufacturer  s  exclusive  repre- 
sentative for  a  certain  field.  In  this  field  he  repre- 
sents from  two  or  three  to  fifty  different  non-con- 
flicting producers.  His  margin  of  profit  is  smaller 
than  that  accorded  the  wholesaler;  he  is  after  volume. 
He  makes  it  possible  for  the  manufacturer  to  approxi- 
mate a  unit  system  of  distribution. 

The  manufacturer's  broker  carries  on  most  of  the 
negotiations  with  wholesalers.  All  difliculties  are 
referred  to  him  for  adjustment.  He  may  h^ve  much 
to  do  with  framing  the  general  policy  for  his  territory. 
He  is  (save  the  representative  on  salary  from  head- 
quarters) the  manufacturer's  most  direct  representa- 
tive. 

The  broker  seldom  goes  straight  to  the  retailer. 

His  commission  will  not  permit  it.     He  must  go  to 

TheB  k     *^^  wholesaler,  where  each  order  means  big 

Sells  the     business.     If  he  does  any  work  at  all  on  re- 

Wholesaler  ^^[1^^^^  j^  jg  foj.  tj^g  purpose  of  influencing 

demand  upon  the  wholesaler.  Progressive  firms, 
who  employ  a  broker  and  want  to  get  the  maximum 


136  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSLT^IER 

volume  of  sales,  allow  him  to  engage  specialty  men; 
or  they  send  specialty  men  to  work  under  his  direc- 
tion. These  men  call  on  retailers  and  stimulate 
demand  upon  the  wholesalers  by  whatever  arguments 
of  merit,  advertising,  profit,  or  special  cooperation 
seem  best. 

House-to-house  canvassing  of  consumers,  sam- 
pling, and  store  demonstration  are  means  by  which 
the  manufacturer  cooperates  with  the  broker.  The 
size  of  the  manufacturer's  organization,  the  amount 
of  capital  he  has,  and  the  universality  of  the  appeal 
of  his  product  must  determine  whether  or  not  he  will 
use  brokers  and  the  amount  of  cooperation  he  shall 
give  them. 

The  fourth  route  is  from  the  manufacturer  to  the 
consumer,  with  no  intermediaries  save  the  manu- 
Selii  the  ^^-^turer's  own  representatives  on  salary  or 
Consumer  Commission.  This  classification  includes 
(1)  the  mail-order  house,  (la)  tlie  manu- 
facturer selling  by  mail,  and  (2)  the  manufacturer 
who  operates  retail  stores  or  sells  direct  through 
agents  or  salesmen. 

Mail-order  businesses  are  of  two  sorts.  The  pri- 
mary purpose  of  one  is  to  sell  goods  of  its  own  manufac- 
ture, the  business  of  the  other  is  to  sell  goods  by  mail. 

In  the  first  class  is  the  manufacturer  who  special- 
izes upon  a  few  articles;  in  the  second,  the  firm  that 
maintains  extensive  manufacturing  estabhshments, 
and  also  buys  from  other  manufacturers  materials  to 
complete  its  own  extensive  lines. 


AD\'ERTI5IXG  AND  SELLING  137 

In  Chapter  XXII  I  have  covered  the  mail-order 
method  of  selling  in  greater  detail. 

Some  manufacturers  sell  the  consumer  direct 
through  their  own  representatives  who  are  paid 
either  a  salan,^  or  commission. 

The  automobile  maker  who  maintains  agencies 
or  branches  in  different  cities  for  the  pmpose  of  sell- 
ing direct  to  the  user  is  an  example.  But  if  he  allows 
his  cars  to  be  sold  by  an  indep>endent  local  sales  com- 
pany, he  must  be  accounted  as  using  the  second  trade 
channel — manufacturer  to  retailer. 

The  sale  of  advertised  si>ecialties  has  developed  a 
tyj>e  of  manufacturer's  representative  not  at  all 
like  the  ordinary  merchandise  broker,  who  goes  to 
the  wholesaler  with  a  sample,  quotes  him  a  price, 
and  wires  his  principal  the  wholesaler's  offer.  The 
manufacturer's  representative  selling  advertised  spe- 
cialties must  be  a  creative  salesman  in  everj'^  sense 
of  the  word.  He  must  understand  how  to  conserve 
the  value  of  the  trademark-  He  truly  represents  the 
manufacturer  in  serving  the  customer  and  does  not 
oomi>ete  on  a  price  basis. 

Small  q>edalties  are  often  established  by  solicitors 

sent   out   from   the   manufacturer's   office.     Firms 

Tmkndm  I'aii  h^^^^^^g  Only  a  small  capital,  and  unable  at 

Oatdfto    the  outset  to  advertise  and  sell  in  a  big 

bg        way,  often  use  solicitors,  for  a  time  only, 

*''*^**"^    as  a  means  of  making  the  goods  known 

and  as  a  preliminary  to  selling  through  retailers. 

Specialties  wliich  are  limited  in  appeal  cannot  be 


138  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

sold  successfully  by  any  other  means.  If  the  mar- 
gin on  them  is  small,  the  solicitor  handles  them  as  one 
of  a  number  of  articles  which  he  is  prepared  to  present 
to  the  consumer. 

The  manufacturer  who  operates  retail  stores  is  also 

a  direct-to-the-consumer  seller.     In  his  advertising 

TkeManu-  ^^  often  lays  particular  stress  upon  the 

/twjterer     statement    that    he    has    eliminated    the 

crates  Retail  middleman's    profit    and    can,    therefore. 

Stores      make  the  consumer  a  better  price. 

It  may  be  he  can,  but  I  doubt  it.  He  has  taken 
upon  his  own  shoulders  the  burden  of  maintain- 
ing a  more  complex  organization  and  of  handling 
many  men  on  the  road.  In  other  words,  he  cannot 
eliminate  selling  expenses  by  going  direct  to  the  con- 
sumer. He  may  minimize  it  by  perfection  of  sales 
equipment  and  the  institution  of  economics  in  the 
supervision  and  conduct  of  his  business. 

Unless  he  is  a  wonderful  organizer  and  a  handler 
of  men,  he  may  find  at  the  end  of  the  year  that  his 
net  profits  are  less,  and  that  the  public  has  fared 
no  better.  That  does  not  mean  to  say  that  direct- 
to-consumer  selling  is  not  economical.  It  certainly 
must  be  backed  by  the  highest  type  of  business 
ability  if  the  manufacturer  is  to  make  a  success 
of  it. 

Chain  stores  are  not  always  examples  of  manu- 
facturer-to-consumer selling;  they  are  simply  or- 
ganized retailing. 

In  the  fifth  channel,  the  mail-order  house,  instead  of 


ADVERTISING  AND  SELLING  139 

going  direct  to  the  manufacturer,  buys  from  his  sales 
agent.      This    means    the    mail-order   departments 
j,f^^        of   large  businesses   whose  chief  concern 
Mail-order   may  be    either  wholesaling    or  retailing, 
but  which   maintain  mail-order  sections. 
It   also   covers    the   buying   of   goods    by  a    mail- 
order house  from  an  importer  or  exporter  or  a  mer- 
chandise broker  instead  of  from  the  manufacturer 
direct. 

The  conditions  which  control  the  production  of 
an  article,  the  amount  of  capital  to  be  used  for  pro- 
motion purposes,  the  utiHty  and  value  of  the  article 
itself,  the  distance  which  separates  it  from  its  mar- 
ket— all  these  things  must  be  considered  in  choosing 
a  selling  method. 

Almost  aU  selhng  systems  call  for  a  middleman. 
Importer,  broker,  wholesaler,  or  retailer,  whichever 
he  may  be,  he  is  a  helpful  factor  in  distribu- 
Middleman  tion  and  has  justified  his  existence.     To 
in^A^ifst    inarket  merchandise  costs  a  certain  amount 
All  Selling   of  money,  varying  in  accordance  with  the 
character  of  the  merchandise  and  the  ability 
and  the  amount  of  work  that  the  selling  organization 
will  put  into  a  campaign.     A  manufacturer  who  de- 
cides not  to  employ  middlemen  does  so  because  he 
has   developed — or   is   convinced   that  he   can   de- 
velop— within  his  own  organization  the  distributing 
ability  which  is  the  primary  function  of  the  middle- 
man.    Whether  or  not  he  can  save  money  is  a  matter 
which  he  must  determine  for  himself  by  trial. 


140  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  manufacturer  must  be  a  creative  salesman, 
or  surround  himself  with  men  who  are,  or  his  busi- 
ness will  come  to  nothing.  The  middleman  must 
be  a  producer — serving  the  consumer — or  be  elimi- 
nated. 

Nothing  that  I  have  said  in  this  chapter  should  be 
construed  as  endorsing  the  idea  that  the  five  routes 
I  have  outlined  are  the  only  correct  ones  for  mer- 
chandise to  follow.  In  many  instances  I  believe 
radical  changes  in  distribution  should  be  made. 
There  are  manufacturers  who  sell  to  the  jobber, 
through  a  sales  agent;  the  jobber  then  sells 
dleman's  to  the  retailer;  the  retailer  sells  to  the 
ShovMBl    consumer.     There  are  many  articles  han-/ 

Clearly  died  in  this  way  which  could  be  shipped  in 
the  original  package,  direct  from  the 
manufacturer  to  the  consumer.  Even  if  the  sale 
were  handled  through  two  or  three  middlemen, 
still  each  party  to  the  transaction  would  benefit 
materially  by  the  change,  especially  the  consumer. 

The  route  of  distribution  should  be  governed  by 
the  character  of  the  merchandise.  The  middleman 
should  know  definitely  what  his  functions  are,  and 
should  not  attempt  to  handle  any  work  that  could 
be  done  elsewhere  more  economically  and  with 
greater  satisfaction  to  the  consumer. 

There  are  too  many  middlemen  in  a  number  of 
lines.  There  are  lines  in  which  one  or  two  bold 
spirits  could,  by  making  use  of  modern  merchandising 
and  advertising  methods,  increase  the  scope  of  their 


ADVERTISING  AND  SELLING  141 

business,  get  an  enormous  volume,  reduce  the  cost 
to  the  consumer,  and  give  themselves  financial  re- 
turns many  times  in  excess  of  any  sum  they  can 
ever  make  by  trying  to  maintain  a  fictitious  value 
for  the  service  they  render. 

There  is  need  for  radical  readjustment  all  along 

the  line.     The  particular  point  I  have  endeavored 

to  drive  home  in  this  chapter  is  that  even 

aumer  Is  ,  though  the  manufacturer  goes  to  the  con- 

^Tesi^    sumer   by   means   of   all   the   established 

routes   of   distribution,   his   responsibihty 

to  the  consumer  for  the  quality  of  his  wares  is  not 

lessened. 

I  reahze  that  many  distributors  will  oppose  any 
change,  just  as  the  hand  compositor  fought  the  in- 
troduction of  the  Hnotype  machine.  Yet  linotype 
operators  make  from  two  to  three  times  as  much  as 
they  did,  under  the  very  best  conditions,  as  hand 
compositors.  Many  distributors  have  been  blindly 
following  established  custom ;  they  have  not  analyzed 
conditions  or  causes,  nor  have  they  realized  that 
there  are  better  ways  of  doing  business. 

All  along  the  line  the  distributive  system  is  loaded 
with  heavy  labor  costs — usually  the  lowest-priced 
labor  is  the  most  expensive. 

Advertising  can  reduce  the  cost  of  every  phase  of 
distribution,  at  the  same  time  increasing  the  com- 
pensation of  the  personal  labor  required  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  various  distributive  chan- 
nels. 


142  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

One  prominent  retailer,  who  is  generally  reported 

to  figure  his  cost  of  handling  merchandise  at  30  per 

cent,  on  the  gross  price,  told  me  that  more 

Confers^  than  half  his  expense  is  labor,  including 

BmeAt  ^^^^^  hire,  management,  delivery  men, 
janitors,  etc.  His  advertising  cost  was 
less  than  one  per  cent,  on  his  total  business.  I  told 
him  it  did  not  seem  good  business,  to  me,  to  tax 
the  consumer  with  15  per  cent,  for  labor  and  only  one 
per  cent,  for  informative  advertising  which  would 
reduce  the  cost  of  salesmanship,  if  his  clerks  are 
trained  to  cooperate  with  the  selling  campaign. 

This  same  condition  exists  in  the  jobbing  busi- 
ness. Men  unpack,  handle,  and  repack  goods  which, 
if  standardized  and  if  the  consumer  were  educated 
to  want  it  in  exactly  the  form  in  which  it  leaves  the 
manufacturer,  could  be  shipped  direct  from  the 
manufacturer  to  the  consumer,  who  would  select, 
at  the  retailer's,  from  well-displayed  samples. 

There  is  much  opportunity  for  improvement,  and 
I  predict  that  the  next  ten  years  will  witness  changes 
that  might  be  characterized  as  revolutionary.  But  I 
believe  that  the  established  channels  of  trade  will 
remain  fundamentally  as  they  are  now. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER   XIII 

There  are  trade  papers  which  deal  with  the  prob- 
lems outlined  in  this  chapter,  many  of  them.  Some 
are  of  unquestioned  leadership,  with  offices  in  all  im- 
portant trade  centres. 


ADVERTISING  AND  SELLING  143 

Particularly  noteworthy  are  the  Dry  Goods  Econ- 
omist and  Iron  Age  (both  published  in  New  York), 
which  are  edited  by  men  of  great  power  and  national 
influence. 

There  are  five  (monthly)  pubhcations  for  under- 
takers and  eight  for  miners.  The  grocer,  the  general 
merchant,  and  the  alHed  trades  are  served  by  sixty- 
eight  publications.  And  so  on  down  the  list,  from 
automobiles  to  watchmaking.  Each  one  of  these 
trades  has  its  own  literature,  to  say  nothing  of  house 
organs  and  catalogues  which  display  the  highest  type 
of  advertising  skill. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

HOW  THE   MIDDLEMAN   SERVES   THE   CONSUMER 

THE  retailer  does  95  per  cent,  of  the  business 
of  supplying  the  wants  of  the  American 
family.  I  doubt  whether  this  percentage 
ever  will  be  much  altered.  The  mail-order  business 
will  increase  and  so  will  the  jobber's  and  retailer's, 
just  as  rapidly  as  elimination  of  the  present  waste 
in  our  distributive  system  is  changed  into  increased 
comfort  and  luxury  for  the  consumer. 

Many  people  will  always  find  it  easier  and  more 
satisfactory  to  order  goods  by  mail  after  they  have 
read  a  catalogue;  others  want  to  see  and  examine 
merchandise  before  they  buy.  The  question,  "What 
kind  of  service  does  the  consumer  like  best.'*"  has  as 
many  answers  as  there  are  different  kinds  of  people. 

The  mail-order  business  proves  that  people  scat- 
tered over  a  wide  area  may  be  organized  and  held 
together  by  group  consciousness. 

Once  in  the  backwoods  of  Kentucky  I  met  a  man 
who  isolated  himself.  He  refused  to  buy  anything 
from  the  local  stores.  His  greatest  satisfaction 
seemed  to  be  his  ability  to  read  and  supply  his  wants 
by  means  of  the  catalogue  of  a  Chicago  mail-order 

144 


HOW  MIDDLEMAN  SERVES  CONSUMER    145 

firm.  He  evidently  felt  a  personal  superiority  and 
distinction — sometimes  encountered  among  "our  very 
best  people" — in  being  able  to  do  something  which  his 
less  fortunate  neighbors  could  not  do,  i.  e.,  read. 

Many  manufacturers  have  been  considering  the 

middleman  their  customer,  because  he  buys  their 

goods.     Goods  in  the  market  may  be  a 

Middleman  menace  to  the  man  who  has  made  them. 

Is  Not  a     They  are  never  sold  until  they  are  in  the 

Consumer     ■•         \       m    ■,  -i       n       i  -i 

hands  of  the  consumer,  the  final  buyer,  tha 
man  who  does  not  want  or  intend  to  sell  them  again. 

Many  distributors  are  recognizing  the  new  order  of 
things,  and  are  limiting  their  activity  to  banking  and 
purely  distributive  functions.  They  are  not  attempt- 
ing^specialty  salesmanship,  because  they  can  get  expert 
assistance  of  this  kind  from  the  manufacturer's  sales- 
men. And  they  make  more  money  than  they  could 
by  having  a  larger  margin  of  profit  and  taking  the  re- 
sponsibility of  educating  the  trade  by  specialty  work. 

Any  distributive  system  which  does  not  bear  the 

test  of  constantly  giving  the  consumer  the  best  ser- 

rri.   T  ir      vice  must  fail.     And  the  middleman  who 

The  Jobber  i       i         n.  t>       i  •      ^ 

and  Adver-  opposcs  the  haudlmg  of  advertised  goods 
ise  00  s  ]jQf.^^gQ  }jg  thinks  the  consumer,  knowing 
the  producer,  may  go  direct  to  him  and  thus  dispense 
with  the  middleman's  services,  is  making  a  wrong 
deduction.  The  consumer  is  best  served  when  each 
factor  of  production  and  distribution  is  concentrated 
upon  the  one  activity  for  which  it  is  particularly  well 
equipped. 


146  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

No  manufacturer  should  have  the  preference  of  the 

consumer  or  the  retailer  unless  his  merchandise  merits 

it.     If  the  maker  of  a  food  product  which 

Private      is  intelligently  merchandised  and  nation- 

"Brands  ^^^^  advertised  is  able  to  get  only  from 
Are  2  to  5  per  cent,  of  the  total  business 
for  it,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  jobber 
should  not  put  in  his  own  private  brand — if  the  con- 
sumer and  the  dealer  would  have  confidence  in  his 
guarantee  of  quaHty  and  his  backing  of  the  prod- 
uct. 

In  a  number  of  instances  the  demand  for  a  certain 
article  is  a  highly  developed  want  which  has  been 
created  solely  by  the  constructive  genius,  organizing 
ability,  unwavering  purpose,  and  unceasing  devotion 
of  its  manufacturer.  Any  attempt  to  share  in  this 
business  is  little  short  of  a  willingness  to  accept 
something  without  rendering  an  equivalent  for  it. 
It  is  not  only  unethical  and  unmoral;  it  is  the  worst 
kind  of  bad  business,  and  cannot  be  encouraged  or 
countenanced  by  honest  men. 

In  some  cases  the  manufacturer,  the  jobber,  and 

the  retailer  put  their  names  on  the  merchandise, 

and  tell  the  consumer  exactly  what  each 

Distributing  ^^^  douc  and  stands  willing  to  do  toward 

o^^/j      gaining  and  meriting  his  or  her  confidence. 

bnould  ^        .  1        1  •  IT 

Educate         In  the  grocery  trade  there  is  much  dis- 
suvwr^     cussion  of  the  comparative  value  of  manu- 
facturers' and  jobbers'  brands.     There  are 
forces  at  work  in  the  distribution  of  groceries  that 


HOW  MIDDLEMAN  SERVES  CONSUMER    147 

seem  as  relentless  and  as  irreconcilable  as  those  now 
engaged  in  warfare  in  Europe. 

A  specialty  manufacturer  sends  his  salesman  to  call 

on  the  retail  grocery  trade.     He  takes  orders  to  be 

shipped   through   the   jobber.     And   then 

Under-      he  fiuds  out  that  the  jobbers'  salesmen 
'l^r     liave  killed  a  number  of  them. 
Eliminate        Many    jobbers    control    the    retailer's 
trade  by  granting  him  credit.     Then  they 
can  insist  that  he  handle  their  brands,  not  the  manu- 
facturer's. 

Where  the  consumer  is  indifferent  the  conflict  is 
most  active.  I  am  convinced  that  this  wasteful 
antagonism  is  unnecessary.  It  can  be  largely 
eliminated  by  a  more  perfect  understanding  of  what 
business  really  is,  and  a  willingness  on  the  part  of 
everybody  concerned  to  give  the  other  man  the  con- 
sideration and  courtesy  to  which  his  service  en- 
titles him. 

The  best  interests  of  the  consumer  are  the  best 
interests  of  the  retailer.     But  the  consumer  does 

„    .,       not  always  understand  what  is  best  for 

Retailer 

and       him.     This  is  the  dealer's  opportunity  for 
^"h^w^^    service.     If  the  retailer  personally  or  his 
Identical    salesmen,  who  should  be  governed  by  ser- 
vice ideals  which  he  has  laid  down  for 
them,  can  persuade  his  customers  to  accept  some- 
thing which  is  better  for  their  wants  than  the  par- 
ticular things  for  which  they  ask,  he  is  giving  them 
true  service  by  doing  so. 


148  ADVERTISmG— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  retailer  who  does  this  will  not  be  misled  by  an 
overzealous  salesman  who  talks  large  profits  on 
unknown  articles  against  a  fair  margin  on  well-ad- 
vertised articles  which  move  rapidly,  and  give  the 
dealer  more  profit  because  of  volume.  This  type  of 
dealer  will  soon  win  the  confidence  of  his  customers 
so  completely  that  they  will  not  expect  him  to  meet 
cut  prices  on  standard  articles.  They  will  prefer 
to  trade  at  a  store  where  scientific  methods  of  distri- 
bution are  appreciated  and  used. 

I  am  sure  that  most  of  the  difficulties  which  are 
now  worrying  the  dealer,  the  jobber,  and  the  manu- 
facturer (to  the  detriment  of  the  consumer)  will 
disappear  as  soon  as  the  functions,  the  rights,  and  the 
responsibiHties  of  each  are  more  fully  comprehended. 

You  may  have  heard  some  one  say  that  "  the  manu- 
facturer ought  to  advertise,  in  order  to  force  the 
jobber  and  dealer  to  handle  his  goods." 

SJvotM^  If  advertising  is  strong  enough  to  force  the 

Never  jobber  or  the  dealer  to  do  something  which 
he  does  not  want  to  do  the  man  who  invokes 
and  uses  this  power  for  such  a  purpose  is  making  a 
wasteful  use  of  it. 

He  would  much  better  be  employed  in  convincing 
the  jobber  and  retailer  that  their  interests  are  con- 
served in  the  possibilities  of  cooperation  and  absolute 
assurance  of  increased  sales,  because  more  intense  de- 
velopment of  the  consumer's  wants  and  a  more  direct 
supplying  of  them  would  increase  the  volume  of  busi- 
ness. 


HOW  MIDDLEMAN  SERVES  CONSUMER  149 

The   generally   accepted   definition   of   the   word 

"gentleman"  is  "strength  tempered  with  com-tesy, 

justice,  and  a  square  deal."    No  jobber 

slwiUd  St  or  retailer  should  be  forced  to  do  anything 

^dM^    which  does  not  further  his  best  interests. 

A  merchandising  plan  which  contemplates 

ruthless  disregard  of  the  wishes  of  a  distributor  lacks 

much.     The  middleman  should  be  "sold"  on  the 

advantages  to  him  of  cooperating  with  the  plan  of 

distribution. 

The  best  manufacturers,  those  who  distribute 
through  national  merchandising  and  advertising,  are 
considerate  of  the  middleman.  Before  they  under- 
take a  campaign — which  represents  an  enormous 
investment  of  capital,  time,  thought,  and  energy — 
they  have  data  gathered  which  enables  them  to  deter- 
mine what  complete  service  to  the  consumer  is  worth, 
and  what  the  middleman's  share  of  this  service  is 
worth.  Then  these  manufacturers  "  sell "  the  middle- 
man on  cooperating  with  them,  because  it  will 
serve  his  own  interests  and  at  the  same  time  give  the 
consumer  satisfaction,  which  is  the  best  possible  in- 
trenchment  of  his  business. 

The  jobber  and  retailer  who  help  the  producer 
get  the  increased  volume  of  business  which  is  bound 
to  result  from  tlie  use  of  a  correct  merchandising 
plan  will  make  more  money  on  their  capital  and 
energy  and  will  do  best  by  the  consumer.  This 
type  of  middleman  is  intrenching  himself  for  the 
future  and  wUl  not  be  eUminated;  instead  he  will 


150  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

become  a  more  and  more  important  factor  in  dis- 
tribution. 

REFERENCES  ON  CHAPTER  XIV 

In  *'The  Economics  of  Retailing,"  published  by 
the  Ronald  Press  Company,  New  York  City,  1915, 
Paul  H.  Nystrom  has  covered  the  whole  range  of 
retail  distribution  in  a  most  interesting  and  readable 
manner. 

"The  Wages  of  Salespeople,"  "Location  and  Rent," 
•*How  Retail  Prices  Are  Fixed,"  "The  Mail  Order 
House,"  "Are  There  too  Many  Retail  Stores?"  are 
titles  of  exceedingly  interesting  chapters. 

He  makes  an  argument  for  publicity  in  its  broadest 
sense  when  he  says: 

V 

"Sooner  or  later  the  growing  unrest  of  the  public 
concerning  the  rising  costs  of  living  will  be  focussed 
on  the  costs  of  distribution.  PubUc  investigations 
will  be  made  and  legislation  proposed.  Much  of  any 
ill-will  that  might  be  present  in  that  scrutiny,  when 
it  comes,  can  be  averted  by  retailers  if  they  will  but 
take  the  public  into  their  confidence.  Price  is  the 
tender  spot  in  nearly  all  economic  discussions  where 
public  interest  is  concerned.  It  is  highly  essential 
that  aH  retailers,  who  are  doing  a  legitimate  business 
upon  a  reasonable  profit  basis,  cooperate  in  letting 
the  public  know  what  are  their  price-making  proc- 
esses and  problems." 


CHAPTER  XV 

RETAIL   ADVERTISING — PREPARATION 

IN  CONSIDERING  retail  advertising,  one  must 
not  forget  that  many  dealers  have  gone  into 
business  without  having  made  a  comprehensive 
plan  of  campaign.  Some  have  inherited  a  business. 
Others  started  in  as  clerks,  and  gradually  worked 

up. 

In  agricultural  districts,  retired  farmers,  who  have 
moved  into  town  so  that  their  children  may  have 
city  school  advantages,  often  buy  a  grocery  business 
or  handle  farm  implements. 

Many  of  them  fail  because  they  lack  expert 
knowledge  of  the  business  itself  and  especially  because 
they  did  not  know  the  characteristics  of  their  con- 
suming group. 

Other  things  being  equal,  the  retailer  should  pre- 
fer a  location  in  a  city  whose  industries  are  exten- 
sively advertised.     Manufacturers  who  use 

Lobar      advertising  to  create  a  permanent,  steady 

N^ssa^^  to  Diarket   are   least   affected   by   industrial 

Successful    changes.     Employees  are  benefited  by  this 

^"^    pohcy,  because  they  are  not  laid  off  in 

times  of  general  depression. 

151 


152  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Having  chosen  a  city  or  town  in  which  to  estab- 
lish himself  (if  it  is  possible  for  him  to  do  this), 
the  retailer's  next  move  is  to  select  the  particu- 
lar street  upon  which  it  seems  best  to  locate  his 
store. 

Here  again  we  see  the  value  of  the  group  spirit, 
which  accounts  for  the  fact  that  property  at  the 
corner  of  State  and  Madison  streets,  Chicago,  is 
worth  many  times  more  rent  per  year  than  is 
the  same  number  of  square  feet  one  mile  from 
there. 

The  fact  that  a  large  group  of  people  has  formed 

the  habit  of  passing  a  particular  corner,  or  along  a 

particular  block,  every  day,  makes  a  loca- 

Location     tion  at  that  point  worth  more  to  the  re- 

Witkinthe    Jailer  than  the  same  amount  of  space  a 

Locality         ■,  ■•> 

short  distance  away. 
The  retailer  should  next  consider  the  character- 
istics of  his  group,  as  a  whole,  and  also  those  of  the 
many  smaller  groups  of  which  the  community  is 
composed.  He  should  study  their  tastes,  their 
prejudices,  and  the  influences  that  are  maintaining 
or  changing  their  mental  attitude  and  their  manner 
of  living.  He  should  select  his  clerks  carefully, 
considering  their  fitness  to  sense  and  work  in  har- 
mony with  the  prejudices  and  preferences  of  the 
majority  of  his  customers.  Much  might  be  said 
about  fitting  up  his  store  so  that  his  wares  will  be 
in  plain  sight  and  easy  to  get  at.  Allow  plenty  of 
space  for  showcases,  counters,  and  shelves  for  the 


RETAIL  ADVERTISING— PREPARATION   153 

display  of  desirable  merchandise.  Mute  salesman- 
ship of  this  kind  costs  little  and  gets  substantial 
results. 

The  retail  merchant  should  buy  reliable,  depend- 
able goods.     It  is  wiser  to  concentrate  his  buying  in 
„     „        a  few  sources  of  supply,  in  order  to  make 

Buy  trom    1.1. 

Competent    his  busmess  attractive  to  the  best  houses, 
Ee^e^    and  in  this  way  insure  getting  the  greatest 
trig  Reliable  amouut  of  attention.     WTiere  the  quaUty 
of  the  merchandise  and  the  general  policy 
of  the  houses  from  which  the  dealer  can  buy  is  the 
same,  he  should,  in  justice  to  himself,  give  prefer- 
ence to  the  salesman  who  studies  his  needs  and  is 
best  equipped  to  counsel  and  confer  with  him  about 
how   to   merchandise   the   goods   he   buys.     Many 
dealers  owe  much  of  their  success  to  counsel  and 
advice  given  them  by  salesmen  who  believe  that  the 
business   of   selling   is  an  opportunity  for  service, 
and  who  treat  the  dealer's  confidence  as  a  sacred 
trust. 

As  soon  as  the  dealer  knows  the  purchasing  capac- 
ity of  his  possible  customers,  he  should  gradually 
foster  in  them  an  appreciation  of  a  little  better 
standard  than  they  have  been  asking  for.  In  this 
way  he  can  secure  the  leadership  which  is  neces- 
sary if  he  is  to  build  up  a  big  business,  and  can 
get  and  hold  the  trade  of  people  who  like  to  feel 
that  they  appreciate  quality  and  that  goods  have 
been  brought  to  their  attention  because  they  kno'"^ 
quodiiy. 


154  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

It  pays  to  stock  advertised  brands  instead  of  un- 
advertised,  when  they  are  of  equal  merit.     If  he  can 
buy  the  latter  for  less  money,  then  he  must 
tivTvdue    determine  how  much  the  advertising  on  the 
of  Adver-    higher-priced  line  is  worth  to  him.     If  he 
Unadver-    Can  be  suTc  that  the  advertised  merchan- 
Pr^duds     ^^^^  ^^  ^^^^  ^^^  clerk  hire,  rent,  and  other 
expense,  then  the  advertising  justifies  it- 
self.    As  a  rule  advertised  lines  are  meritorious,  and 
the  cost  of  advertising  is  not  an  excess  tax  upon  the 
consumer.     In  which  case  the  dealer  has  no  excuse 
for  handling  anything  but  advertised  lines. 

Careful  discrimination  is  necessary  when  the  re- 
tailer takes  over  the  exclusive  sale  of  a  line  of  goods. 
Many  manufacturers  market  their  goods 
SS«     ^^  ^^^  dealer  only,  in  each  town,  because 
Should  Be   they  know  that  having  something  which 
Considered  one's  immediate  competitor  does  not  pos- 
sess appeals  to  retailers  generally.     Some- 
times the  retailer  makes  a  mistake  in  listening  to  this 
argument.     For  there  are  articles,  having  a  wide 
national  distribution  and  sold  to  any  dealer  who  will 
buy  them,  that  unquestionably  give  the  greatest  sat- 
isfaction to  the  consumer  because  of  the  advertising 
which  has  been  done  both  before  and   after  the 
purchase. 

Retailers  often  try  to  substitute  an  article  of  which 
they  have  the  exclusive  local  sale  for  one  that  has  a 
broad  national  sale.  It  is  a  mistake  to  do  this.  The 
manufacturer  who  gets  control   of  a  market  and 


RETAIL  ADVERTISING— PREPARATION    155 

reduces  the   price,   in    order    to   entrench  himself, 

unquestionably  gives  the  greatest  possible   service 

National     to  the  final  buycF.     Every  manufacturer 

^Aid^^     with  a  sound  merchandising  poUcy  wants 

Local  the  retailer  to  handle  goods  at  a  satisfactory 
^"^^  profit.  In  fact,  so  far  as  I  know,  present 
agitation  for  the  piu-pose  of  getting  legislation  in  Con- 
gress which  will  permit  manufacturers  to  insist  that 
retailers  maintain  the  manufacturer's  retail  selling- 
price  has  been  instigated  by  the  manufacturer.  He 
wants  the  retailer  to  make  money;  he  does  not  wish 
to  reduce  the  retailer's  profit.  He  knows  that  if  he 
can  get  the  largest  possible  volume  of  distribution, 
he  can,  because  of  economies  possible  in  production, 
reduce  prices  and  entrench  himself  against  competi- 
tion. He  knows  that  price-cutting  on  the  part  of 
the  retailer  reduces  the  total  volume  of  sales,  and 
that  the  retailer  cannot  give  the  consumer  complete 
service  unless  he  is  sure  of  a  steady  and  permanent 
demand. 

The  retailer  is  wrong  who  apportions  his  expense 
of  doing  business  among  all  the  articles  he  sells.  For 
instance,  it  costs  him  more  in  rent,  labor,  and  over- 
head, to  serve  a  glass  of  soda,  at  five  cents  a  glass, 
than  it  does  to  hand  out  a  package  of  chewing-gum, 
the  demand  for  which  has  been  created  and  developed 
by  national  advertising. 

He  fools  himself  if  he  thinks  that  the  washing  of 
glasses,  the  labor  of  dispensing  the  soda,  and  the 
amount  of  time  taken  up  by  people  who  stand  at 


156  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

the  soda  fountain  is  anything  like  the  same  degree 

of  expense  to  liim  as  the  transaction  involved  in 

Well-ad-     handing  out  the  chewing-gum.     In  order 

vertised      to   provc   it,   he   needs  only  to  find  out 

Lines  Cost     -  ,         .  i  i     i 

Less  to  now  many  chewing-gum  sales  a  clerk 
Handle  could  make,  in  a  day,  to  people  who  came  in 
about  as  fast  and  as  regularly  as  the  patrons  of  an 
elevated  railroad  go  through  the  gates  and  drop  a 
ticket.  For  five  cents  the  elevated  railroads  give 
the  consumer  a  good  deal  of  transportation,  and  the 
labor  of  the  people  who  sell  him  tickets  and  receive 
him  at  the  gates. 

The  retailer  can  profitably  use  every  advertising 
medium  that  I  have  described  in  this  book.  Many 
of  them  he  can  afford  to  use  directly.  He  can  get 
the  benefit  of  all  of  them,  indirectly,  by  cooperating 
with  the  manufacturer's  advertising  of  goods  of 
which  he  has  the  exclusive  sale  for  his  own  section; 
or  by  cooperating  with  national  advertising  cam- 
paigns on  goods  that  are  sold  to  any  dealer  who  will 
buy  them.  By  doing  this  he  will  get  more  than  his 
share  of  the  business  which  the  manufacturer  creates. 
He  should  do  no  local  advertising  until  his  store  is  in 
shape  to  back  any  promises  he  may  make  in  his  ad- 
vertising. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER  XV 

Mr.  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham,  formerly  a  partner 
in  Marshall  Field  &  Co.,  Chicago,  and  President  of 
the  Chicago  World's  Fair,  has  written  a  valuable 


RETAIL  ADVERTISING— PREPARATION    157 

book,  "The  Making  of  a  Merchant,"  published  by 
Forbes  &  Company,  Chicago. 

The  science  of  advertising  has  developed  a  service 
phase  since  Mr.  Higinbotham  wrote  "The  Making  of 
a  Merchant."  He  recommends  unadvertised  lines 
as  giving  the  dealer  a  larger  profit;  and  now  he  would 
find  that  the  manufacturer's  advertising  actually 
saves  the  dealer  clerk  hire  and  rent,  and  brings  him 
business. 

Mr.  Higinbotham  recommends  that  retailers  teach 
their  clerks  to  be  decisive  in  dealing  with  customers, 
and  aptly  says:  "When  the  decision  is  put  up  to  the 
customer,  he  invariably  names  the  brand  most  widely 
advertised,  because  it  is  the  first  that  comes  to  his 
mind." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

HETAIL  ADVERTISING METHODS  AND   MEDIUMS 

THE  retailer's  first  purpose  in  advertising  is 
to  bring  people  into  his  store. 
For  appealing  to  those  who  pass  the  store 
every  day  the  best  medium  is  a  display  window. 
Goods  should  be  attractively  arranged  and  show  the 
price.  Then  the  effect  of  the  advertising  in  the  win- 
dow can  be  accurately  checked. 

The    same    clear-cut    fundamentals    govern    the 

success  of  a  department  store  and  fruit  stand.     Each 

exists,    primarily,    because    of    a    group. 

Make       Each  has  been  established  in  a  locality  to 

Retailing     ^luch  commou  interests  and  needs  draw 

rossible 

a  group  of  people  constantly. 
In  polishing  his  apples,  arranging  the  grapes  and 
cherries  in  small  packages,  and  putting  in  his  spare 
time  making  up  attractive  assortments,  the  fruit- 
seller  shows  the  same  elemental  appreciation  of  the 
advertising  value  of  display  which  is  revealed  in  the 
department  store's  handsome  windows,  neat  shelves 
and  counters,  and  carefully  trained  clerks  who  im- 
press all  comers  with  the  fact  that  "it  is  a  pleasure 
to  show  goods." 

158 


METHODS  AND  MEDIUMS  159 

The  price  ticket  on  a  basket  of  grapes  is  both  an 
appeal  to  the  bargain-hunting  instinct  of  the  su- 
burbanite and  a  confidence-compelUng  affirmation 
by  the  proprietor  that  the  goods  are  worth  the  price 
asked,  and  that  he  is  wiUing  for  any  one  to  know 
it. 

This  same  fruit  vender  has  found  out  that  he  can 
depend  upon  a  certain  class  of  discriminating  trade, 
i/  he  carries  well-advertised  goods  in  the  original, 
unbroken  package.  Many  a  small  store  proprietor 
would  do  well  to  follow  his  example. 

A  certain  Chicago  retailer  moved  his  store  not 
long  ago.     The  new  location  costs  him  $15,000  a 

Show  year  more  for  the  same  amount  of  space 
Windows    he  had  before.     But  now  he  has  six  show 

Silent  windows.  He  had  only  two  before.  Nei- 
Salesmen  ^^xeT  the  class  of  people  who  pass  the  new 
store  nor  the  numerical  strength  of  the  group 
seems  to  have  changed  much.  But  the  four  extra 
display  windows  more  than  justify  the  $15,000 
additional  rent.  These  windows  are  changed  con- 
stantly. 

The  windows  bring  people  into  the  store,  where 
materials  of  especial  interest  for  the  moment  must 
be  attractively  displayed,  interesting  them  and 
stimulating  desire  to  purchase.  Such  silent  sales- 
manship, making  use  of  the  power  of  suggestion, 
often  contributes  more  to  a  sale  than  does  the  clerk's 
selling  talk. 

The  newspaper  is  the  best  medium  for  reaching 


160  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

people  who  do  not  regularly  pass  the  retailer's  store. 
If  he  knows  how  to  use  local  newspapers,  and  gets 
prompt  responses,  he  is  fortunate  indeed. 

As  I  have  said  before,  it  isn't  necessary  to  advertise 
bargains  all  the  time.  It  is  wise  to  remind  the 
readers  of  the  newspapers,  every  now  and  then, 
that  he  sells^  dependable  goods,  and  stands  back  of 
them. 

In  only  one  respect  has  modern  business  improved 
upon  the  method  of  the  late  Mr.  A.  T.  Stewart, 

,    ^     ,    who  used  to  stand  at  the  front  door  of 

The  Local       .  .    i  •  ^  ,  i 

Newspaper  the  store,  greet  his  regular  customers  by 
RetaUel's    11^^16,  and  occasionally  slip  into  a  package. 
Best       for  good  measure,  a  tapehne,  a  spool  of 
thread,  or  some  other  useful  little  article. 
The  improvement  is  the  change  from  a  personal  to 
an  institutional  basis,  the  result  of  emphasizing  the 
fact  that  the  business  is  being  conducted  according 
to   such   sound   merchandising  principles   that  the 
constant  personal  presence  of  the  owner  is  not  es- 
sential  to   perfect   service.     The   one-price   system 
and  the  custom  of  returning  to  the  buyer  the  pur- 
chase price  if  goods  are  returned  within  a  reason- 
able time  have  gained  the  confidence  of  the  public. 
These  thoughts  should  be  emphasized  again  and  again 
in  the  retailer's  newspaper  announcements. 

The  retailer  can  use  local  newspapers  advantage- 
ously in  another  way,  described  in  the  chapter  con- 
cerning "National  Advertising  and  Exclusive  Deal- 
ers." 


METHODS  AND  IVIEDIUMS  161 

The  retailer  who  has  the  exclusive  sale  of  a  na- 
tionally advertised  specialty  can  double  the  value 
of  his  newspaper  advertising  by  "tying  it  up" 
with  the  manufacturer's  national  magazine  advertis- 
ing. 

There  are  advertising  mediums  which  the  retailer 
should  absolutely  refuse  to  use.     I  refer  particularly 

Treai      ^  thosc  of  a  scmi-bcnevolent  or  semi- 

YouT  charitable  character. 
Appropria-  The  retailer  who  feels  he  must  contribute 
TnutFund  something  to  a  local  church  or  lodge,  or 
some  other  semi-benevolent  enterprise  that 
wants  to  sell  him  space  in  a  program,  can  contrib- 
ute, instead,  an  equivalent  value  in  merchandise 
which,  for  some  good  and  sufficient  reason,  must 
be  seen  at  his  store.  Very  many  clever  ideas  have 
been  worked  out  along  this  line.  As  certain  trade 
papers  and  specialty  advertising  organs  keep  a 
record  of  them,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  give  further 
detail  here. 

The  store  must  be  kept  in  such  an  attractive  con- 
dition at  all  times  that  customers  will  be  pleasantly 
impressed. 

His  advertising  appropriation  should  be  from  2 
to  4  per  cent,  of  his  total  sales.  He  ought  to  spend 
it  as  if  it  were  money  held  in  trust  for  another, 
which  must  be  made  to  earn  the  maximum  profit, 
^uch  a  viewpoint  would  not  permit  him  to  be  "sold'* 
by  various  schemes,  of  doubtful  value,  that  are  being 
brought  to  his  attention  continually. 


162  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

There  are  men  who  go  around  the  country  per- 
suading retailers  to  advertise  in  local  newspapers 
schemes  that  make  the  solicitors  enormous  profits. 
However,  this  practice  is  about  at  an  end,  because 
retailers  and  publishers  know  more,  now,  about  real 
advertising  and  its  value. 

The  retailer  should  not  buy  calendars,  novelties, 
or  advertising  devices  of  any  kind  until  he  knows 
exactly  how  he  is  going  to  distribute  them. 

The  best  plan  is  to  give  them  to  people  who  will 
come  into  his  store  and  get  them.  A  small  news- 
paper advertisement,  a  circular,  or  a  letter  would  tell 
the  reader  about  them. 

I  have  previously  pointed  out  that  local  news- 
papers are  especially  effective  for  advertising  the 
big  department  store.  Fortunate  indeed 
Work  and  ^^  ^^  retailer  in  a  town  that  has  a  pro- 
Wo^  Your  gressive  local  newspaper  covering  his  trade 
territory  fully. 

An  entirely  different  problem  confronts  the 
neighborhood  retailer,  in  a  large  city,  and  the 
suburban  dealer  who  has  no  local  newspapers 
whose  circulation  corresponds  with  his  trade  terri- 
tory. 

These  suburban  storekeepers,  especially  grocers 
and  druggists,  are  Just  now  discovering  that  by  dis- 
playing wares  which  are  being  widely  advertised 
in  newspapers  and  magazines  that  circulate  in  their 
neighborhood  they  can  actually  cash  in  on  the  manu- 
facturer's advertising. 


METHODS  AND  IVIEDIUMS  163 

A  number  of  newspaper  publishers  realize  how 

important  it  is  that  retailers  who  cannot  afford  to 

^^       advertise  be  taught  how  to  profit  by  the 

Suburban    manufacturer's  general  advertising. 

Can  Before  he  advertises  a  special  line  of 

^r^^     goods  every   department  store   proprietor 
Newspaper  teaches  his  clerks  how  to  cooperate  with 

V  istng  ^^  advertising  when  the  customer  comes 
in  to  see  the  goods.  All  retail  stores  can  use  manu- 
facturers' newspaper  and  general  advertising,  with- 
out cost,  merely  by  cooperating  with  it.  The  re- 
tailer who  knows  what  kinds  of  newspaper  and 
magazine  advertising  pay,  what  the  circulation  of 
general  mediums  is,  in  his  territory,  can  realize  on 
manufacturers'  advertising  as  completely  as  if  he 
himseK  were  paying  for  it. 

If  he  is  in  doubt  as  to  the  amount  that  is  spent  by 
the  house  that  sells  to  him,  he  can  get  accurate  in- 
formation by  applying  direct  to  the  publisher,  or  to  any 
large  advertising  organization  that  cooperates  with 
national  advertisers  in  preparing  and  placing  copy. 

Some  retailers,  having  been  imposed  upon  by  ad- 
vertising promises  that  were  never  fulfilled,  assume 

Dealers     ^^^^  ^^  advertising  is  alike,  and  that  one 

Shavid     manufacturer's  pubKcity  is  no  more  valu- 
Diserimi-    able  than  another's.     No  part  of  the  re- 
"^       tailer's  equipment  is  more  important  than 
an  accurate  knowledge  of  advertising  mediums,  both 
national  and  local.     This  will  enable  him  to  dis- 
criminate between  manufacturers  who  use  adver- 


164  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

tising  to  serve  the  consumer  and  reduce  the  cost  of 
distribution,  and  those  who  try  to  bluff  him  by  mak- 
ing him  think  that  they  are  advertising  on  a  larger 
scale  than  is  really  the  case. 

Better  grade  magazines,  newspapers,  and  class 
publications  are  censoring  carefully  the  advertising 
of  the  manufacturer  who  does  business  in  a  question- 
able way.  Many  publishers  will  not  accept  copy 
unless  they  know  that  the  advertising  is  sincere, 
and  straightforward,  and  planned  to  benefit  both 
consumer  and  distributor.  Just  as  any  banker  will 
express  an  opinion  about  any  worthy  investment, 
so  any  advertising  house  of  standing  will  verify  the 
claims  of  a  reputable  advertiser.  Dealers  certainly 
should  not  give  their  cooperation  to  manufacturers 
whose  merchandise  does  not  measure  up  to  the  claims 
made  by  their  advertising,  or  to  those  whose  busi' 
ness  methods  can  be  questioned. 

In  closing  let  me  repeat  that  at  least  once  a  year 

the  dealer  should  map  out  for  himself  a  definite, 

j^        tangible,    complete   campaign.     He   must 

Plan  More  know  exactly  the  size  of  his  appropriation 

Important  j      r        i  i  i    ♦.  -f    •. 

Than  the  and  should  spend  it  as  if  it  were  money 
Medium  gpgjjj-  jjj  t^ust  for  another,  with  which  he 
must  buy  the  maximum  profitable  result.  He  can 
have  all  of  the  exhilaration  of  the  chemist  who  makes 
discoveries  in  his  laboratories,  the  satisfaction  of  the 
mathematician  who  solves  problems,  the  zest  of  the 
hunter,  and  the  calm  sense  of  power  of  the  man  who 
makes  plans  and  sees  them  materialize. 


IVIETHODS  AND  MEDIUMS  165 

REFERENCES  ON   CHAPTER  XVI 

Very  many  books  have  been  written  about  retail 
advertising.  Correspondence  scliool  courses  are 
largely  concerned  with  writing  advertisements  for 
retailers.  Several  houses  which  sell  to  one  dealer 
only,  in  each  locality,  maintain  a  syndicate  service 
which  supplies  the  dealer  with  ready-made  adver- 
tisements. 

In  almost  every  city  of  10,000  population  or  over 
there  are  one  or  more  advertising  agencies  or  adver- 
tising service  bureaus  which  make  a  specialty  of 
writing  copy  for  retailers.  Practically  every  paper 
covering  retail  trades  has  a  department  devoted  to 
retail  advertising. 

The  live  daily  newspapers,  in  metropolitan  and 
provincial  cities,  are  the  best  primers  for  the  man 
who  wants  to  study  the  best,  latest,  and  broadest 
aspects  of  retail  advertising. 

George  M.  Reynolds,  president  of  the  Conti- 
nental and  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Chicago, 
states  that  when  a  boy  in  a  small  Iowa  town,  he  sub- 
scribed for  the  great  newspapers  of  our  large  cities, 
in  order  to  keep  constantly  in  touch  with  the  outside 
world. 

I.  R.  Parsons,  Advertising  Manager  of  Carson 
Pirie  Scott  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  in  Printers*  Ink,  June 
24,  1914,  says: 

"I  know  of  stores  that  are  purported  to  spend  but 
one  and  one-half  per  cent,  of  their  entire  gross  re- 


106  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

ceipts  for  advertising,  their  advertising  charges  in- 
cluding many  items  of  more  or  less  general  expense, 
like  window  decorating  and  other  general  promotion 
costs,  and  each  of  the  stores  in  question  does  a  tre- 
mendous business.  I  know  of  several  other  stores 
whose  yearly  advertising  cost  amounts  to  4  per  cent, 
of  their  gross  sales  or  thereabouts  and  they  seem  to 
get  away  with  it.  But  I  do  not  know  of  any  retail 
store  of  any  consequence  which  spends  less  than  one 
and  one-half  per  cent,  for  advertising,  nor  did  I  ever 
hear  of  any  store  lasting  very  long  with  an  advertising 
burden  of  more  than  4  per  cent." 

Frank  Farrington  of  Delhi,  New  York,  author  of 
"Making  a  Drug  Store  Pay"  and  a  number  of  other 
very  valuable  books  for  retailers,  and  editor  of  Prof- 
itable Storekeeping  (Chicago)  says:  "My  observation 
is  that  2  per  cent.,  in  the  case  of  the  average  store, 
(which,  by  the  way,  is  not  a  very  large  store)  is  a 
satisfactory  figure." 


METHODS  AND  MEDIUMS 


167 


Mr.  Parsons  gives  the  following  jBgures  as  being 
those  of  a  hypothetical  store  "generaled  by  a  mer- 
chant in  the  good  old  Anglo-Saxon  meaning  of  the 
term": 


YARD  GOODS  AND  ACCESSOBIES 


Department 

Silks  and  Velvets 
Dress  Goods 
Wash  Goods 

Laces  and  Embroideries     1 
Ribbons  1 

Trimmings  1 

Notions  and  Dressmaker's 
Supplies  1 


Advertising: 
Percentage 

2% 


RKADT-TO-WEAH    APPAREL    FOB 
WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN 


% 
% 
% 


DRESS  ACCESSORIES 


Veilings 

Handkerchiefs 

Women's  Neckwear 

Gloves 

Hosiery 

Knit  Underwear  (cotton) 

Knit  Underwear  (silk) 

Parasols  and  Umbrellas 

Jewelry 

Hair  Goods 

Leather  Goods 

Toilet  Articles 

HOX7SEHOLD  LINES 

Furnitm« 

Linens 

Carpets  and  Rugs 

Blankets,  Bedding,  etc. 

Lace  Curtains 

Art  Needlework 

Silverware 

China  and  Glassware 

Trunks  and  Bags 

Housefurnishings 

Books 


lf% 
11% 
1  % 

u% 

2% 
2% 

3  % 
2% 
3% 

4  % 
3% 
2% 


6% 

ii% 

3  % 
3% 
8% 

ii% 

3  % 
3  % 

4% 
4% 
3% 


Department 

Women's  and  Misses' 
Women's  Dresses 
Girls'  Apparel 
Women's  and  Misses' 

Coats 
Shoes 
Waists 

Separate  Skirts 
Millinery  (in  season) 
Petticoats 
Lingerie 
Negligees 
Infants'  Wear 
Corsets 
Furs  (in  season) 


Advertising 
Percentage 

Suits  3  % 

4% 
3% 

3% 
3  % 
3  % 
3% 
3% 
2i% 
2i% 
3% 

ih% 

3% 
3% 


READY-TO-WEAR  APPAREL 
FOR  MEN  AND  BOTS 


Men's  Clothing 
Boys'  Clothing 
Men's  Shoes 
Men's  Furnishings 
Men's  Hats 


5% 
4% 
3% 
3% 
4% 


Total  Average  Advertising 
Cost      .        .        .        .21% 

Which  figure,  being  reduced  by 
business  done  by  departments  not 
advertising,  will  imdoubtedly  come 
within  the  2^%  limit. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

RETAIL  ADVERTISING — MAKING  GOOD 

ikT  AN  exhibit  of  farm  vehicles,  once,  I  heard 
IJL  a  barker,  in  replying  to  a  couple  of  farmers 
-^  -^  who  were  chaffing  him  about  his  sales  talk  for 
the  buggies  he  was  demonstrating,  point  out  clearly 
the  institutionalism  of  banking  and  merchandising, 
and  the  labor-saving  value  of  trustworthy  methods  of 
doing  business. 

They  told  him  he  was  the  most  interesting  liar 
they  had  ever  heard.     He  turned  on  them  quickly 

_,    .,       and  said:  "You  are  honest  farmers,  but 

Retail  ^  ^,  p     1         • 

Dealers     you  have  a  peculiar  way  oi  showing  your 

E:^cted    iionesty  when  you  do  business  with  each 

to  Be      other.     You  trust  your  bankers  with  your 

^  "'^       money  without  question.,     You  let  your 

wife  and  children  trade  with  your  local  merchants, 

and  it  never  bothers  you  at  all,  because  you  know 

they  will  be  given  a  square  deal.     But  I  notice  that 

when  one  of  you  wants  to  buy  a  horse  or  a  calf  or 

anything  else  from  another  farmer,  you  don't  delegate 

that  business   to   anybody.     You   always   do   that 

work  yourself.     You  are  honest,  certainly  you  are, 

and  you  show  it  in  the  way  you  trust  each  other." 

168 


MAKING  GOOD  169 

The  point  of  this  story  is  the  fact  that  the  dealer 
is  expected  to  be  honest  and  trustworthy  as  a  matter 
of  course.  It  is  certain  that  his  influence,  prestige, 
and  permanent  position  in  the  field  in  which  he  does 
business  are  in  direct  relation  to  the  size  of  the  group 
which  has  confidence  in  him. 

In  Chapters  XIV  and  XV  I  have  said  that  the 
retailer  must  know  the  relative  value  of  advertising 
mediums,  and  how  to  use  them  for  accomplishing 
specific  results.  But  when  this  has  been  done,  he 
has  still  a  responsibility  which,  in  my  judgment,  is 
worthy  of  a  separate  chapter — to  make  good  on  every 
advertisement  he  puts  out. 

The  retailer  who  gets  the  most  out  of  advertising 

is  one  who  thinks  of  it  as  a  promissory  note  to  the 

Maintain-    Public.     He  has  invited  the  public  to  come 

ing        to  his  storc.     He  has  put  himself  in  the 

I  Increases    position  of  the  host  at  a  dinner-party.     If 

theDeahr's  there  is  a  hurrying  and  scurrying  about 

to  lay  [extra  places  at  the  table  after  his 

guests  arrive,  they  may  feel  they  were  not  wanted, 
after  all. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  advertiser 
backs  up  his  advertising  with  the  same  sincerity  he 
expresses  in  his  announcement. 

Clerks  must  be  trained  to  appreciate  that  the  word 
of  the  store  has  been  given,  and  that  any  failure  to 
make  good,  on  their  part,  is  a  serious  offence. 

A  certain  most  successful  manager  of  a  big  depart- 
ment store  believes  he  cannot  possibly  cash  in  on  his 


170  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

advertising  unless  he  maintains  to  an  extreme  degree 
the  confidence  of  every  one  who  comes  into  his  store. 
He  told  me,  one  day,  when  I  was  calling  on  him,  that 
the  man  who  had  just  left  his  office  was  the  manager 

of  his  shoe  department.     Mr.  showed  me, 

with  evident  satisfaction,  the  report  which  this 
manager  had  just  left  with  him.  He  explained  that 
three  months  before  he  called  in  this  department 
manager  and  told  him  that  the  percentage  of  re- 
turned shoes  was  too  small.  The  subordinate  men- 
V  •.•    .L    tioned  that  he  had  expected  commenda- 

Invding  the      ,         .  ,       „        .   .    .  „  ,  .  ,    . 

Return  of    tion  instead  of  criticism  for  this,  and  m- 

Itise^'  sisted  that  wherever  there  had  been  the 
Increased  least  rcason  he  had  permitted  shoes  to  be 
returned  and  the  money  refunded  or  other 
shoes  sent  out  in  place  of  them. 

"You  certainly  don't  want  to  let  a  girl  come  in 
here  and  get  a  pair  of  fine  dancing  shoes,  dance  in 
them  half  the  night,  and  come  in  the  next  morning 
and  exchange  them  for  everyday  shoes,  do  you?" 
the  department  manager  protested. 

"That  is  exactly  what  I  do  want.  That  girl  has  a 
father  and  a  mother  who  undoubtedly  do  not  ap- 
prove of  all  that  she  does,  but  they  will  feel  kindlier 
toward  us  when  they  find  that  we  are  indulgent  with 
her.     Try  it  three  months  and  see." 

The  report  showed  an  increased  volume  of  sales 
in  the  shoe  department,  and  the  manager  of  the  store 
believed  that  it  was  due  to  the  increased  liberality 
in  the  matter  of  returns. 


MAKING  GOOD  171 

On  another  occasion  I  went  with  the  salesman  of  a 

large  paint  house  to  call  on  a  prominent  store.     The 

"  Taking     keen  eye  of  the  salesman  picked  out  a  small 

Back"      can  of  paint  lying  on  the  floor,  and  he  asked 

Goods  the        ,  'e  i       i  n     i     i  •      i 

Dealer  Did  the  manager  if  he  handled  that  particular 
NotSeU  brand.  The  manager  laughed  and  said: 
"No,  but  a  woman  came  in  this  morning,  said  she 
had  bought  this  can  from  us,  and  didn't  want  to  use 
it.     Of  course  we  took  it  back  without  argument." 

This  is  an  extreme  case.  The  manager  did  not 
question  the  customer's  statement  that  she  had  bought 
an  article  he  had  never  had  in  the  store,  and  then 
gave  her  the  amount  of  money  she  claimed  she 
had  paid  for  it.  It  illustrates,  however,  the  fact 
that  the  customer's  mental  bias  in  favor  of  the  store 
is  of  the  utmost  importance  and  cannot  be  trifled 
with  without  harming  the  group  spirit  which  is, 
after  all,  the  store's  most  valuable  asset. 

Service  to  the  customer  should  be  the  reason  for, 
the  expression,  and  the  follow-up  of  every  advertise- 
ment. 
^f^S^^I       Attractive  window,   counter,  and  floor 
displays  which  remind  and  inform  passers- 
by  are  true  service  factors.     They  economize  the 
time  of  both  consumer  and  dealer. 

Courteous,  prompt,  and  intelligent  attention  by 
salesmen  who  know  their  stock  and  have  constantly 
in  mind  the  satisfaction  of  the  customer  is  the  only 
good-will  asset  which  will  bring  trade  from  a  long 
distance  and  hold  it  in  spite  of  price  competition. 


172  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Retailers  who  sell  service  have  no  mail-order  com- 
petition, and  they  take  pains  not  to  advertise  the 
mail-order  business  by  discussing  it. 

When  we  can  be  sure  of  price  maintenance  on 

nationally  advertised  goods,  we  shall  have  reliable 

merchandise  at  lower  prices  than  ever  be- 

cutting      ioTe,  bccausc  of  economy  in  wholesale  pro. 

Benefits     (Juctiou  and  unimpeded  movement  to  the 

Nobody  .  ,  .    . 

consumer,  with  minimum  salesmanship 
cost  to  all  distributors.  The  retailer  who  advertises 
bargains  is  not  giving  his  customer  a  square  deal  if 
he  sells  an  advertised  product  of  merit  at  a  price 
which  does  not  cover  his  legitimate  distribution  cost. 
He  is  not  giving  the  consumer,  who  is  his  customer, 
the  service  or  the  protection  to  which  he  or  she  is 
entitled  if  he  cuts  prices  on  advertised  goods  for  the 
purpose  of  more  than  offsetting  this  loss  by  the  in- 
creased sale  of  other  goods  on  which  his  margin  of 
profit  is  abnormally  high. 

I  realize  that  some  persons  may  take  exception  to 
my  statement  that  the  retailer  should  maintain  in  all 
cases  the  price  which  the  manufacturer  puts  on  the 
goods  to  be  sold  to  the  consumer.  Let  me  make  my- 
self perfectly  clear.  There  are,  especially  in  the  drug 
field,  lines  of  goods  which  give  the  retailer  an  abnor- 
mally high  profit.  Knowing  that  all  business  should 
benefit  the  consumer,  we  must  not  exploit  him  by 
asking  him  to  pay  more  than  the  service  is  actually 
worth.  Many  cut-rate  drug  prices  are  legitimate, 
but  they  are  giving  the  consumer  a  wrong  impres- 


MAKING  GOOD  173 

sion.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is  the  retail  margin 
scheduled  by  the  manufacturer  is  sometimes  too 
high  in  the  first  place,  and  he  did  not  expect  it  to  be 
maintained. 

It  is  certain  that  on  nationally  advertised  goods  of 

genuine  merit,  the  distribution  cost  of  which  has 

been  scientifically  fixed,  the  retailer  will  do 

DecdFor    ^^^t  to  cooperatc.     He  is  not  being  square 

Every       yaX^i  his  customcrs  if  he  creates  the  impres- 
the  Dealer' a  sion  that  he  sells  aU  goods  on  the  narrow 

Atlet  inargin  which  cut  prices  on  advertised 
goods  of  real  mjerit  allow  him.  On  the 
other  hand,  he  cannot  command  the  manufacturer's 
cooperation  and  support  in  developing  a  larger 
volume  of  business  if  he  interferes  with  the  manu- 
facturer's scientifically  developed  plans  for  benefiting 
the  consumer. 

This  brings  up  a  question  that  might  as  well  be 
discussed  here  as  elsewhere — is  it  certain  that  the 
consumer  always  receives  full  value,  even  though  the 
work  of  distribution  has  been  ably  and  conscientiously 
done? 

For  instance,  many  people  believe  that  the  sale 
of  liquors,  tobacco,  and  luxuries  in  general  is  econom- 
ically wrong,  and  a  burden  upon  the  pubUc.  Others 
think  that  the  selling  of  patent  medicines  is  detri- 
mental to  the  interest  of  the  people.  Others  main- 
tain that  an  investment  should  not  be  advertised  at 
all,  but  that  all  advertising  in  connection  with  in- 
vestments should  deal  only  with  the  integrity  and  the 


174  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

ability  of  the  banking  or  investment  institution  that 
sells  the  securities. 

We  must  recognize  that  intrinsic  value,  real  value, 
and  commercial  value  are  three  different  things. 

I  would  define  intrinsic  value  as  the  sum  of  those 

qualities  in  an  article  which  scientific  expert  buyers 

would  determine  by  test  to  be  valuable. 

Difference    Alcohol  used  in  the  arts  might  be  intrinsi- 

Between     cally  more  valuable  in  one  brand  than  in 

A  7ttl*l,7lSTC 

Real,  and  another.  Yet  many  persons  would  hold 
^7X'^'^  that  alcohol  has  no  real  value.  The  real 
value  of  any  given  article  would  be  the  sum 
total  of  its  qualities  which  actually  benefit  mankind. 
Pure  water  possesses  real  value.  There  might  be 
some  discussion  as  to  the  distinction  between  the 
intrinsic  and  the  real  value  of  pure  water.  These 
differences  of  opinion  would  be  governed  by  differ- 
ences in  the  uses  to  which  it  is  put. 

Commercial  value  is  that  quality  in  an  article 
which  creates  satisfaction.  Satisfaction  is  the  test 
of  every  purchase.  When  the  consumer  is  satisfied 
with  his  purchase  we  may  safely  say  that  the  article 
he  bought  possesses  commercial  value.  That  is 
the  basis  on  which  we  must  discuss  the  question  of 
value  in  relation  to  advertising. 

The  point  has  been  made  that  the  department 
store's  attractive  advertising  has  raised  the  standard 
of  living  to  a  point  where  people  believe  they  cannot 
do  without  many,  articles  which  really  are  luxuries, 
not  necessities.     But  they  justify  the  purchase  of 


MAKING  GOOD  175 

them,  to  themselves,  by  allowing  themselves  to  be- 
lieve they  are  necessities.     Some  economists  main- 
tain that  the  work  most  valuable  to  the  community 
has  been  rendered  by  those  who  endure  privation, 
rather  than  by  those  who  are  surrounded  with  lux- 
uries the  enjoyment  of  which  calls  for  a 
Service      hcavy  expenditure  of  both  time  and  money. 
Become  Urn  J  Jjavc  never  been  able  to  see  how  adver- 

CosUyf         ,  . 

tismg  could  be  responsible  for  creating  a 
Dondition  that  would  be  injurious  to  the  consumer 
in  any  degree.  Perhaps  I  should  quaUfy  that  by 
saying  that  truthful  advertising  could  not  injure  the 
pubhc  in  any  possible  way. 

Fortunately  the  movement  for  truthful  adver- 
tising has  been  inaugurated  and  pushed  by  ad- 
vertising men  themselves,  because  they  realized 
that  absolute  and  constant  dependability  would 
demonstrate  and  develop  the  greatest  value  of  adver- 
tising. 

Leaders  of  the  advertising  business  have  asked 
that  the  law  recognize  the  benefit  of  truthful  adver- 
tising by  discipHning  advertisers  who  do  not  pro- 
mote the  best  interests  of  the  consumer. 

I  am  convinced  that  our  great  captains  of  industry 
get  little  more,  in  exchange  for  their  arduous  efforts, 
than  shelter,  clothing,  and  a  modest  amount  of  food. 
These  men  work  under  self-imposed  privations 
because  they  beheve  this  method  is  definitely  help- 
ful in  accompHshing  the  important  work  they  have 
undertaken. 


176  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Booker  T.  Washington  is  authority  for  the  state- 
ment that  until  the  desire  to  possess  things  that  are 
y^        generally  conceded  to  be  luxuries  is  aroused 
Desire  for    in  the  negro,  he  cannot  be  stimulated  to 
Stimulates   scientific   and  fruitful  methods  of  work. 
Industry    j  ^.^^  g^j.^  ^^^^  jj^g  Cultivation  of  domestic- 
ity— beautifying  the  home  and  making  it  a  more 
comfortable  place  to  live  in,  the  possession  of  works 
of  art  and  care  in  preserving  and  keeping  them — ^has 
a  beneficial  reflex  upon  the  community. 

Personally,  I  am  not  afraid  of  the  extension  of 

the  service  idea  on  the  part  of  our  large  department 

stores,  although  it  is  true  that  the  cost  of 

Service  ■       i      ■  t_  i    i 

Competition  couccrts,  Iccturcs,  rcst  rooms,  and   long- 
Invites      range  dehveries  must  be  covered  by  the 

Cooperation        ,  °  "     . 

price  the  consumer  pays  for  merchandise. 
The  best  protection  against  abuse  of  this  method  is 
the  fact  that  big  national  advertisers  are  vieing  with 
each  in  giving  the  consumer  the  greatest  possible 
service  for  the  amount  of  money  he  spends. 

At  present  this  force  is  apparently  working  in 
competition  with  the  big  department  stores.  There 
are  indications  that  some  of  the  larger  and  better 
managed  department  stores  are  beginning  to  realize 
that  it  pays  to  cooperate  with  the  national  advertiser. 

If  the  department  store  refuses  to  stock  large 
national  advertisers*  products,  because  they  do  not 
allow  it  suflicient  margin  to  pay  for  all  this  service, 
these  goods  will  be  distributed  by  smaller  stores 
which  are  located  closer  to  the  consumer.     Such 


MAKING  GOOD  1T7 

service  competition  will  benefit  every  one  tliat  is  en- 
gaged in  it. 

Advertising  can — and  I  predict  will,  during  the 

next  ten  years — accomplish  many  reforms.     It  is 

going  to  convince  the  consumer  that  buy- 

Advertising   •  »  i  n  • 

Will  Bring  mg  iFom  peddlers  is  an  unnecessary  tax 

Needed  upon  him,  and  that  the  time  of  the  can- 
vasser  could  better  be  spent  upon  labor 
which  produces  more  for  the  community. 

It  is  going  to  prove  that  food  products  handled  in  a 
sanitary  way  will  not  only  eliminate  the  waste  due  to 
sickness  which  is  the  result  of  unsanitary  conditions, 
but  that  the  possibility  of  merchandising  in  a  broader 
way  will  enlarge  the  market.  And  the  larger  the  mar- 
ket, the  more  the  proceeds  of  a  day's  labor  will  buy. 

Advertising  is  the  most  potent  force  we  have  to- 
day for  equalizing  the  ups  and  downs  of  labor  condi- 
tions. It  is  seldom  that  a  national  institution  which 
markets  through  advertising  channels  is  obliged  to 
lay  off  employees.  As  a  rule  the  well-managed  and 
competently  advertised  business  is  continually  adding 
to  its  force  of  operatives,  and  its  current  of  incoming 
business  is  steady  and  permanent. 

The  man  who  advertises  extensively  and  nation- 
ally ought  to  be,  and  actually  has  to  be,  a  student 
of  general  conditions.  He  must  know 
Conditions   ^ow  to  price  his  goods  to  the  consumer  so 

Insure      ^g  ^q  j-gj^g  q^j.q  ^f  fluctuation  in  the  price 

rTOiveniy  , 

of  raw  material.     Stable  commercial  con- 
ditions of  course  mean  money  in  the  pocket  of  the 


178  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

worker — his  consumer.  For  an  unanswerable  argu- 
ment for  the  value  of  stable  conditions,  contrast  the 
continued  prosperity  of  the  six  million  American 
farmers  of  to-day  with  the  state  of  agriculture  when 
the  castles  along  the  Rhine  and  on  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean  were  inhabited  by  warriors  who  pro- 
tected the  tillers  of  the  soil  from  pirates,  to  be 
sure,  but  at  a  price — continual  warfare — which  gave 
the  farmer  very  little  chance  to  make  use  of  his 
land. 

There  is  no  force  at  work  in  America  to-day  which 
is  doing  more  than  advertising  is  toward  the  estab- 
lishing and  maintenance  of  stable  business  condi- 
tions. 

EEFERENCES  ON  CHAPTER  XVII 

Particularly  recommended  is  "How  to  Run  a 
Store  at  a  Profit"  (the  System  Publishing  Company, 
Chicago),  from  which  the  following  suggestions  for 
the  retailer  have  been  culled: 

1.  Fixed  price  articles  carried  as  an  accommoda- 
tion ought  at  least  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

2.  Newspaper  advertising  appropriation  should 
be  from  3  to  5  per  cent. 

3.  Carry  the  right  amount  of  stock  and  no  more. 

4.  Watch  your  overhead  expense.  Overhead  is 
frequently  either  figured  or  charged  incorrectly. 

5.  Know  at  all  times  what  percentage  of  your 
profit  is  actually  net. 

6.  Have  your  goods  so  arranged  and  displayed  that 


MAKING  GOOD  179 

the  minimum  amount  of  time  is  necessary  for  laying 
them  before  the  customer. 

7.  Keep  a  record  of  the  percentage  of  the  selling- 
price  lost  by  mark-downs. 

8.  Look  out  for  negative  expenses.  They  are: 
poor  displays,  dingy  stores,  insujfficient  light,  heat, 
or  ventilation,  ice  on  sidewalks,  discourteous  or  in- 
attentive clerks,  etc. 

9.  In  buying  forget  that  you  own  the  store  and 
regard  yourseM  as  the  purchasing  agent  for  your 
community. 

I  also  call  attention  to  the  "Retail  Merchant's 
Ten  Commandments,"  which  were  published  in  the 
Monthly  Bulletin  of  the  National  Association  of 
Credit  Men,  41  Park  Row,  New  York  City: 

1.  Confine  purchases  to  as  few  houses  as  possible. 

2.  Do  not  overbuy. 

3.  Take  all  discounts  and  pay  all  bills  when  due. 

4.  Have  some  books,  especially  an  accurate  ex- 
pense account,  a  daily  sales  record,  a  book  showing 
purchases,  with  cost  and  when  due. 

5.  Carry  enough  insurance. 

6.  Make  accurate  reports  to  the  commercial  2|gen> 
cies  and  answer  all  letters. 

7.  Keep  a  clean,  well-arranged  store. 

8.  Do  as  much  cash  business  as  possible. 

9.  Do  not  make  unjust  claims. 
10.     Live  within  your  means. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

PRICE  MAINTENANCE 

WE  CAN  best  approach  a  consideration  of 
price  maintenance  by  reviewing  the  fol- 
lowing points : 

(1)  The  one-price  system  builds  business  for  the 
retailer.  It  serves  the  buyer  best,  by  saving  time 
which  he  must  otherwise  spend  in  bargaining.  It 
conserves  the  selling  energy  of  salesmen  who  can 
then  concentrate  on  demonstrating  to  the  con- 
sumer the  specific  value  of  the  goods  offered  for  sale. 

(2)  Mail-order  business  is  possible  only  because 
prices  can  be  fixed  and  vast  editions  of  catalogues 
printed  and  extensively  circulated.  Consider  the 
confusion,  loss  of  time,  and  congestion  which  would 
be  inevitable  were  any  time  devoted  to  writing  letters 
to  ask  for  prices  or  to  haggle  over  charges! 

(3)  The  exclusive  dealer,  or  the  agent  of  the  manu- 
facturer, likes  the  one-price  plan  because  it  insures 
him  a  profit .  In  fact,  the  price  argument  is  the  basis  of 
the  abuse  of  the  exclusive  dealer  idea.  Many  manu- 
facturers put  in  time  selling  the  dealer  which  could  be 
spent  more  profitably  upon  the  consumer.  Many  re- 
tailers load  up  with  exclusive  lines;  whereas  a  keener 

180 


PRICE  MAINTENANCE  181 

appreciation  of  the  value  of  service  in  the  distribution  of 
staples  would  have  been  more  valuable  to  the  con- 
sumer, and,  therefore,  more  profitable  to  the  dealer. 

Producing  a  staple  and  advertising  and  distrib- 
uting it  through  every  possible  channel  are  the  big- 
The       Sest  things  a  manufacturer  can  do.     This 

Field  of     effort  calls  for  more  kinds  of  ability  than 
Accomplish-  any  other  kind  of  commercial  enterprise. 
™^'       It  is  no  task  for  the  quitter,  the  faint- 
hearted, or  the  "piker."     The  results  it  gets  are 
princely  in  scope  and  splendor. 

Given  an  article  of  merit  and  a  fair  price  (which 
means  a  margin  of  profit  to  all  who  assist  in  getting 

Getting  the  maximum  distribution  for  it),  an  ade- 
the"Jump"  quate  national  advertising  campaign  will  so 
entrench  one  manufacturer's  position  that  a  competi- 
tor who  makes  equally  worthy  merchandise  must 
spend  many  times  as  much  for  advertising  in  order 
even  to  divide  the  field  with  him. 

Price-cutting  by  retailers  must  be  fought  because 
the  manufacturer  who  creates  and  controls  the  mar- 
ket for  his  own  goods  under  a  scientific  plan  of  dis- 
tribution serves  the  consumer  best. 

Retailers  who  make  leaders  of  advertised  goods 
by  cutting  the  price  will  eventually  substitute  to  the 
detriment  of  both  manufacturer  and  consumer. 

Unfortunately,  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  has  been  ruhng  against  the  manufacturer  who 
wants  to  put  a  fixed  reselling  price  on  his  merchan- 
dise.    Some  lawyers  believe  that  the  fact  that  a  man 


182  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

can  control  the  use  of  his  name  and  can  prevent  others 
from  selling  goods  which  purport  to  be  his  will  even- 
tually find  legal  expression  in  a  decision 
^preme  Court  that  wiU  give  owners  of  trademarks  the 
and  the     right  to  determine  the  price  the  consumer 

Fixed  Price       *'  i    i  •         i 

shall  pay  for  goods  bearmg  that  trade  name. 
Present  rulings  proceed  upon  the  assumption  that  the 
man  who  buys  and  pays  for  an  article  owns  it  ab- 
solutely and  can  give  it  away  or  sell  it  for  any  price 
he  sees  fit  to  place  upon  it. 

There  are  two  ways  of  handling  price-cutting  on 
staple,  trademarked  products  which  all  manufactur- 
Two  Ways   ^^^  agree  are  reasonable: 
of  Main-        (1)  MoToL  suosion.     I  could  cite  many 

taining       .  ,  ,  t         >     ^  i 

Price— Both  mstauccs  wherc  a  salesman  has  induced  a 
Effective     (j^aler  to  give  up  price-cutting  on  his  prod- 
uct.    Each  dealer  promises  to  quit  if  the  others  will. 
Dealers  are  in  business  for  the  money  there  is  in  it. 
If  price-cutting  does  not  bring  trade  which  buys 
other  goods  at  a  profit,  the  dealer  soon  throws  out 
the  article  he  has  been  cutting  and  substitutes  a  com- 
petitive article.     The  manufacturer  who  created  and 
developed  the  market  loses;  and  the  consumer  loses. 
(2)  By  refusing  to  sell  to  price-cutters.     It  is  illegal 
Selecting     to  agree  not  to  sell,  but  a  manufacturer  may 
the        refuse  to  sell  to  a  distributor  without  giving 
Able  to     any  reason. 

PricL  'r^^  advantages  of  price  maintenance 

cutting      are  so  universally  conceded  and  the  evils 

of  price-cutting  so  generally  condemned  that  sales- 


PRICE  MAINTENANCE  183 

men  should  be  selected  with  du-ect  regard  to  their 
ability  to  put  a  stop  to  the  latter  in  the  territory 
which  is  assigned  them. 

When  dealers  are  fully  conscious  of  the  power  of 
a  trade-building  advertising  campaign  to  locate  new 
buyers  for  advertised  staples  they  will  not  be  so  prone 
to  cut  on  them. 

A  salesman  who  comes  to  the  dealer  with  sugges- 
tions, plans,  and  methods  for  increasing  his  business 
by  cooperating  with  the  manufacturer's  advertising 
plans  (which  means  new  business  for  both  manufac- 
turer and  dealer)  can  easily  convince  the  dealer  of 
the  foUy  of  diverting  an  established  demand,  for  a 
little  time,  by  price-cutting. 

For  each  buyer  who  knows  the  value  of  a  piece  of 
merchandise  and  would  be  tempted  by  a  cut  price 
there  are  twenty  prospectives  who  have  been  almost 
convinced  by  the  advertising,  and  need  only  (ia 
order  to  close  the  sale  at  a  profit  to  both  dealer  and 
manufacturer)  the  dealer's  invitation  to  buy  and  his 
assurance  of  quality. 

Cutting    the    price    to    these    prospectives    may 

"queer"  the  sale  altogether  by  suggesting  inferior 

Out  Price    ^^^*y-     What  Uttle  is  gained  by  enlarging 

to  One     the  market  among  those  who  are  already 

De^)y  convinced  of  the  value  of  the  article  is  more 
Confidenee  than  offset  by  the  loss  of  confidence  among 
"^  those  not  yet  sold  and  the  certain  curtail- 
ment of  distribution  by  dealers  who  wiH  put  under 
the  counter  goods  that  are  sold  at  cut  prices  else- 


184  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

where,  and  only  supply  them  upon  positive  de^ 
mand. 

Retail  merchants'  associations  know  what  the 
effects  of  price-cutting  are.  Sometimes  retail  grocers 
have  met  department  store  price-cutting  at  the 
instigation  of  the  secretary  of  their  local  organiza- 
tion, who  keeps  them  informed  of  exactly  what  is 
being  done.  The  department  store  has  to  make  a 
profit,  and  will  stop  cutting  when  there  is  nothing  to 
be  gained  by  it. 

It  is  commonly  believed  that  the  grocery  section 

of  a  department  store  is  only  a  bait  to  get  trade  into 

the  store.     It  is  noteworthy,  in  this  con- 

Service  nection,  that  to  reach  the  grocery  section 
„  /^  .  one  must  usually  pass  through  other  de- 
partments  where  profitable  goods  are  at- 
tractively displayed.  Many  successful  retail  grocers 
meet  the  situation  squarely  by  selling  customers  on 
the  value  of  their  service,  and  by  convincing  them 
that  a  reasonable  profit  on  dependable  merchandise 
is  just. 

Some  years  ago  there  was  considerable  talk  about 
the  manufacturer  advertising  to  the  consumer,  there- 
by creating  a  consumer  demand  which  would  force 
the  retailer  to  handle  his  goods.  In  many  instances 
this  poKcy  has  apparently  worked.  Wherever  such 
is  the  case,  there  exists  an  opportunity  for  a  com- 
peting product  of  equal  merit  to  supplant  the  present 
leader,  if  the  manufacturer  will  work  out  a  scientific 
plan  of  advertising  to  the  consumer,  sell  to  the  logical 


PRICE  MAINTENANCE  185 

distributors,  and  give  each  link  of  the  distributive 
chain  a  reasonable  profit. 

For  every  dealer  who  can  be  coerced  by  advertising 

which  creates  a  consumer  demand  there  are  twenty 

Persuasion  ^^^  ^^^  ^^  Convinced  that  in  the  "almost 

vs.        persuaded"  consumer  there  is  a  chance  for 

manufacturer  and  dealer  to  cooperate  and 

build  business  for  each  other. 

The  manufacturer's  salesman  can  say  truthfully 
that  he  is  not  interested  in  the  sales  the  dealer  is 
forced  to  make  through  advertising.  His  house  is 
bound  ultimately  to  get  the  business  of  the  consumer 
who  will  seek  the  store  that  keeps  advertised  goods 
and  refuses  to  trade  at  the  store  which  does  not.  This 
salesman  can  say  that  he  is  not  sent  out  to  get  the 
business  that  is  the  result  of  advertising  demand,  but 
to  get  new  business  by  showing  the  dealer  how  to 
make  sales  which  have  been  started  and  partially  de- 
veloped by  advertising. 

The  dealer  who  understands  the  power  of  adver- 
tising will  not  be  a  price-cutter.  He  will  be  a  con- 
servationist, not  a  pirate,  and  will  push  his  busi- 
ness on  service  lines;  for  service  brings  him  the 
good-will  and  fixed  buying  habits  of  satisfied  cus- 
tomers. 

No  advertising  and  selling  campaign  of  national 
scope  can  be  considered  complete  or  apt  perma- 
nently to  entrench  the  product  advertised  as  the 
leading  staple  of  its  class  unless  the  price  of  the  ar- 
ticle to  the  consumer  has  been  fixed  justly. 


186  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Merchandise  of  universal  distribution  should  be 
priced  low,  for  two  reasons: 

(1)  Because  the  patronage  of  the  masses  cannot 
be  expected  unless  they  get  maximum  value  for  their 
money. 

(2)  While  cost  does  not  measure  the  value  of  goods 
to  people  who  have  money  enough  to  gratify  their 
desires,  a  low  price  does  enlarge  the  market  for  any 
product  by  bringing  it  within  the  reach  of  the  largest 
number  of  people.  It  also  fortifies  the  manufacturer 
against  future  competition.  Persistent  advertising 
supplemented  by  shrewd,  competent  salesmanship 
will  hold  a  market  once  preempted. 

Why?     Because  good  advertising  is  the  cheapest 
salesmanship;  because  the  skillful  adver- 
ts, "      tiser  can  pay  the  highest  salaries  for  the 
^"?^      best  salesmen,  and  still  keep  his  total  sell- 

mg  cost  under  that  of  his  competitors. 
Goods  marketed  through  all  channels  of  distribu- 
tion are  advertised  in  the  largest  way   to  benefit 
^ ,     ,  .      the  consumer,   the  advertiser,  and  every 

Adverlistng    ,  .  »tm' 

—the       intermediary  m  the  plan  of  distribution. 
^AU^^    Such  merchandise  becomes  a  staple  with 
Price  Main-  the  cost  of  moviug  diminished  to  the  least 
figure.     It  actually  pays  best  at  a  low  price. 
It  gets  the  widest  market.     It  bears  a  suflicient  mar- 
gin to  pay  all  those  whose  services  are  needed  to  give 
adequate  distribution.     This  is  the  ideal  condition. 
The  lower  the  price  to  the  ultimate  consumer,  the 
less  trouble  the  manufacturer  will  have  with  price- 


PRICE  MAINTENANCE  187 

cutting,  the  wider  will  be  his  market,  and  the  more 
likely  he  will  be  to  establish  himself  permanently  in 
it.  He  must  remember,  though,  that  the  laborer  is 
worthy  of  his  hire,  that  stable  conditions  must  be 
fostered,  and  that  price  maintenance  is  the  mother 
and  father  of  stabiHty. 

It  cannot  be  out  of  place  to  close  this  chapter  with 
the  statement  that  a  manufacturer  who  trademarks 
an  article  of  merit  and  plans  a  comprehensive 
merchandising  and  selling  campaign,  the  objective 
point  of  which  is  the  confidence  and  convenience  of 
the  consumer,  creates  a  staple  in  every  sense  of  the 
word. 

A  well-advertised  product  towers  above  its  com- 
petitors in  the  pubHc  mind,  though  it  may  be  no  more 
deserving.  It  has  achieved  distinction  and  acquired 
the  consumer's  preference.  Its  maker  can  count  on 
a  certain  known  demand.  This  insures  better  qual- 
ity for  the  consumer.  All  this  because  he  and  she, 
the  consumers,  put  their  trust  in  the  manufacturer's 
trademark.  Price  maintenance  is  the  manufacturer's 
duty  to  protect  the  business  he  has  created. 

REFERENCES  ON  CHAPTER  XVHI 

"Price  Maintenance,"  1912  (the  Commerce  Pub- 
lishing Company,  Philadelphia),  by  Thomas  A. 
Fernley,  is  the  most  complete  exposition  of  the  idea 
that  has  reached  me.  It  contains  many  specific  ideas 
for  trade  betterment.  But  the  author  betrays  a 
peculiar  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  power  of  adver- 


188  ADVEIITISING^SELLING_THE  CONSUIVIER 

tising  to  do  away  with  many  of  tlie  evils  for  which  he 
suggests  other  remedies. 

Much  of  the  agitation  in  favor  of  the  Stevens  bill 
seems  to  be  wasted  energy.  Prof.  F.  W.  Taussig 
of  Harvard  University  has  ably  pleaded  for  leaving 
conditions  as  they  are,  in  his  address  before  the 
Twenty-seventh  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American 
Economic  Association.  Inquiries  in  regard  to  mem- 
bership should  be  made  to  Prof.  A.  A.  Young, 
Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.  , 

Professor  Taussig  pertinently  says : 

"It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  work  of  retailing  could 
be  systematized,  how  the  selling  force  could  be  kept 
constantly  employed,  how  stocks  could  be  kept  to 
the  minimum.  As  things  now  stand,  we  pay  heavily 
for  the  privilege  of  freedom  in  the  use  of  our  time, 
for  vacillation  and  choice,  for  the  maintenance  of 
a  stock  and  a  staff  adequate  for  all  tastes  and  all 
emergencies.  It  is  common  to  speak  of  the  waste  of 
competition;  much  of  it  is  in  reality  the  waste  neces- 
sarily involved  in  liberty." 

The  particular  point  that  Professor  Taussig  seems 
to  overlook  is  that  we  should  have  a  law  which  enables 
a  manufacturer  and  retailer  to  agree  on  a  resale  price 
and  make  such  contracts  enforceable. 

Louis  D.  Brandeis  has  stated  the  position  I  hold  in 
a  manner  that  has  not  been  successfully  assailed  in 
the  following  terse  statements: 

"  The  law  has  been  laggard  in  recognizing  the  social 
value  of  the  one-priced  article.     Stability  of  price — 


PRICE  MAINTENANCE  189 

the  knowledge  that  one  citizen  may  procure  an  article 
for  the  same  price  that  is  charged  another  citizen — is 
akin  to  stable  currency. 

"No  one  has  questioned  the  legal  right  of  an  inde- 
pendent producer  to  establish  exclusive  sales  agencies. 
(It  is  in  this  manner  that  automobile  manufacturers 
maintain  their  prices.)  Then  why  should  the  maker 
of  a  trademarked  article  be  prevented  from  estab- 
lishing a  marketing  system  under  which  his  several 
agencies  for  distribution  will  sell  at  the  same  price.'' 

"If  a  dealer  is  selling  unknown  goods  or  goods  under 
his  own  name,  he  alone  should  set  the  price;  but  when 
he  has  to  use  somebodys  else's  name  or  brand  in 
order  to  sell  goods,  then  the  owner  of  the  name  or 
brand  has  an  interest  which  should  be  respected." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

COOPERATION    BETWEEN    SALESMEN    AND    ADVERTIS- 
ING  SALESMAN,  THE  CLOSER — ^ADVERTISING 

THE  MISSIONARY 

i^DVERTISING  becomes  a  significant  element  of 

Zj^  salesmanship  when  the  salesman  pei'ceives  its 
JL  JL  power  to  implant  the  buying  impulse  in  the 
minds  of  prospective  customers.  Then  he  can  devote 
to  closing  sales,  the  time  and  energy  he  had  been  put- 
ting into  stimulating  them.  A  worth-while  sales- 
man's time  is  valuable,  and  should  not  be  put  to 
work  that  could  be  done  by  advertising.  A  salesman 
should  be  a  closer,  not  a  missionary. 

Advertising  serves  the  salesman  by  placing  the 
dealer  in  the  most  favorable  mental  attitude  before 

Creating  ^^  Salesman  calls.  The  dealer  soon  dis- 
the  Buying  covers  that  advertising  serves  him,  too, 
by  continually  developing  in  his  customers 
the  impulse  to  buy. 

It  follows  that  advertising  cannot  be  completely 
productive  until  it  has  the  salesman's  confident 
cooperation. 

The  most  successful  salesman  uses  advertising 
in  selling  merchandise,  just  as  the  factory  superin- 

190 


SALESMEN  AND  ADVERTISING  191 

tendent  uses  modem  machinery  in  manufacturing 
it. 

It  may  seem  strange,  therefore,  that  it  should  ever 
be  difficult  to  get  a  salesman  to  cooperate  with  the 
advertising  of  the  institution  which  he  represents. 

Team  Salesmen    really    sell    ideas.     The    sale 

^*^^  takes  place  in  the  buyer's  mind  when  he 
lets  the  salesman's  idea  supplant  his  own. 

Salesmen  are  human  beings  and  must  themselves 
be  sold  on  new  ideas  to  replace  the  old  ones.  So  for 
the  past  ten  years  my  work  has  largely  been  selling 
to  salesmen  who  were  already  doing  a  good  business 
the  idea  of  cooperation  with  advertising. 

First,  it  is  necessary  to  convince  the  salesman  that 

by  cooperating  with  the  advertising  he  can  so  greatly 

increase  his  sales  that  his  net  personal  in- 

Trw^l  come  will  be  larger,  although  computed  on 
for  the      a  smaller  percentage  of  direct  return  to  him 

Salesman  .     , .    .  ,       ,       , 

on  the  mdividual  sales. 
Advertising  is  justified  only  when  it  serves  the  con- 
sumer.    Personal  salesmanship  can  be  permanent 
Sendee     ^^"^  when  it  survives  the  same  test.     No 
to  the      manufacturing  institution  or  retail  store 
—the      can  advertise  and  pay  its  salesmen  the  same 
^S^of     ^^*^  P^^  dollar  of  actual  sales  without  in- 
Both       creasing  the  burden  to  the  consumer.     If 
i^'^S  the  salesman  is  putting  in  full  time  and  con- 
manship    centrating  on  his  work,  it  is  comparatively 
easy  to  convince  him  that  more  competent  tools 
mean  larger  aggregate  sales.    It  is  applying  to  him- 


192  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUIVIER 

self  the  same  principles  of  frequent  turnover  which 
are  the  foundation  on  which  the  best  retailing  is 
built. 

The  salesman  who  scorns  the  assistance  of  adver- 
tising, if  he  is  to  be  consistent,  should  refuse  to  use 
y^        the  mails,  the  telegraph,  and  the  telephone. 
Salesman    Because  the  cost  of  these  three  agencies. 
Medieval    whlch  multiply  SO  many  times  the  possible 
Mmd      number  of  buyers  within  his  territory,  must 
be  charged  to  the  selling  appropriation. 

There   are   92,919  commercial    travellers   in    the 

United  States,  and  611,139  retail  salesmen.     Most  of 

Reducing    ^^^^c  704,058  men  and  women  are  dis- 

the  Selling   trlbutlng    merchandise    to    the  consumer 

more  economically  than  he  could  be  served 

by  any  other  means.     There  are  also  317,811  agents 

and  peddlers.     It  may  safely  be  said  that  no  agent 

or  peddler  delivers  goods  to  the  consumer  at  less 

than  double  the  price  he  has  paid  for  them.     No 

advertised  line  that  I  know  of,  sold  through  local 

dealers,  bears  anything  like  such  a  selling  cost. 

The  commercial  traveler  and  the  retail 
the  MoTern  Salesman  must  decide  whether  they  will  be 
Machinery  peddlcrs  and  do  practically  all  the  work  of 
selling,  or  whether  they  will  be  salesmen  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  word,  cooperating  with  all  those 
forces  which  mean  volume  of  business  and  are  most 
economical  and  serviceable  to  the  consumer. 

I  have  often  said  that  the  first  manufacturer  of 
a  competitive  line  who  advertises  can  market  his 


SALESMEN  AND  ADVERTISING  193 

product  by  means  of  advertising  and  the  best  type 

of  salesmanship,   pay   his   salesmen  better  salaries 

AdveHising  *^^^  ^^^  Competitors  can  afford  to  pay 

and  Selling  theirs,  and  keep  his  total   appropriation 

More  than    ^^^   advertising   and    salesmanship   within 

^h/^ALa^'    ^^   figure    which    previously    had   been 

sufficient  for  personal  salesmanship  only. 

It  is  a  question  of  "turnover.** 

This  statement  has  been  proved  to  be  true  for 
many  lines,  notably  ready-made  clothing.     The  cloth- 
ing  manufacturer    did  not   advertise  to    the  con- 
sumer at  all  twenty  years  ago.     The  best  houses 
pay  their  salesmen  3  to  4  per  cent,  on  their  total 
sales.     The  advertising  appropriation  is  generally  less 
than  this.     It  would  not  pay  a  salesman  who  handles 
a  well-advertised  line  at  3  per  cent,  to  exchange 
it  for  an  unadvertised  line  at  10  per  cent.     With 
advertising,  his  volume  of  sales  goes  up  immediately, 
and  the  conditions  of  work  are  more  pleasant. 
•     Salesmen  for  a  certain  manufacturer  who  adver- 
tises  nationally   to   the   consumer   but   distributes 
y^       through  the  local  dealer  stop  at  the  best 
Salesman    hotels  whcrcvcr  they  go,  carry  a  packer 

Works  on  a       .  ,  ,  ^  . 

Bigger  whosc  Salary  and  expenses  must  come  out 
Scale  ^£  i^jjgjj.  sales,  and  arrange  in  advance  for 
customers  within  a  radius  of  eighty  miles  to  call  on 
them  on  specific  days,  allotting  two  hours  a  day  to 
each  customer.  They  get  these  customers  together 
in  the  evening  for  a  conference  and  general  coopera- 
tive discussion  of  trade-building  plans  in  which  all 


194  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

are  interested.  Under  the  old  regime,  the  salesmen 
had  to  pack  and  unpack  their  sample  trunks,  and 
could  not  cover  nearly  so  large  a  territory.  Result: 
their  total  sales  were  much  less. 

A  commercial  traveller  who  understands  thoroughly 
that  his  salary  and  expenses  must  come  out  of  the 
goods  he  sells  will  take  advantage  of  every  force 
that  will  help  him  get  the  same  result  at  less  cost 
to  the  dealer  and  consequently  to  the  consumer.  He 
knows  (at  least  he  can  know  if  he  investigates)  that  in- 
telligent advertising  does  work  that  he  must  other- 
wise perform — and  does  it  at  less  cost.  A  retail  sales- 
man ought  to  be  glad  to  push  advertised  lines,  for  by 
so  doing  he  is  rendering  the  consumer  the  largest 
amount  of  service,  and  making  himself  more  nearly 
indispensable. 

There  are  a  number  of  large  mercantile  establish- 
ments which  must  adopt  another  method  of  dealing 
Advertising  ^^^^  their  salesmen,  or — have  no  chance 
,    «*        at   all   twenty   years   from   now.     Unless 

Against  they  soou  pcrccivc  that  scientific  adver- 
the  Future  j-jging  gaves  money,  young  merchants  who 
do  are  going  to  crowd  them  out. 

There  are  wholesale  grocers  who  permit  their  sales- 
men to  quote  cut  prices  on  staples,  and  then  measure 
their  value  to  the  house  by  the  amount  of  mer- 
chandise they  have  sold  on  which  exorbitant  profits 
have  been  made.  This  practice  fosters  a  mer- 
chandising condition  which  is  just  about  as  bad  as 
it  could  be.     The    retail  grocer  ought  to  respect 


SALESMEN  AND  AD^TIlTISING  195 

the  wholesaler's  salesman;  this  man  can  be  an  in.- 

mense  help   to   him   in   building  a  business.     The 

grocer    should    be    sold    on    cooperation. 

Wholesale    He  should  be  taught  how  to  explain  to 

cS^«    his   trade    that   his   service  is  worth  the 

with  the     difference  between  the  cost  and  the  retail 

Advertising         .  «,  .  rpr     i         ji*  p     j 

of  Branded  pnce  of  his  wares.      Inehandlmgof  adver- 

SdH^^l!^    tised   staples  by   retailers  fosters   such  a 

Stnndards    relation;  but  the  salesman  or  jobber  who 

Retail^     confuses    the    retailer    and    destroys    his 

conception  of  values  is  a  force  that  pulls 

in  the  opposite  direction  and  is  demoralizing. 

The  commercial  traveller  who  represents  an  adver- 
tised line  and  the  retail  salesman  who  talks  to  the 
,  ,   ,^      consumer  across  the  counter  have  a  chance 

It  Is  the 

Salesman's  to  study  the  buyer  at  close  range  and  to 
Educate^His  ^dapt  their  merchandise  to  his  desires  and 

Trade  to  needs.  Of  the  two  the  commercial  traveller 
should  have  the  broader  outlook.  He 
should  be  able  to  talk  not  only  to  the  merchant  but 
to  his  clerks,  from  their  own  standpoint,  which  is  that 
of  the  man  who  purchases  goods  to  sell  again.  He 
must  also  convince  them  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
consumer. 

In  Chapter  IV  I  have  outlined  the  advantages  to 
the  individual  of  being  a  member  of  various  groups. 
There  is  also  this:  that  the  leaders  of  the  various 
groups  to  which  you  belong,  by  reason  of  the  obliga- 
tions of  their  office,  reheve  you  of  various  duties,  and 
much  planning  and  organizing. 


196  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Just  here  I  want  to  point  out  that  the  man  who  co- 
operates is  constantly  educating  within  himself  the 
highest  type  of  individuality.  We  all  know  the  man 
who,  as  a  youngster,  went  into  a  large  business  house 
and  did  wilHngly  and  cheerfully  everything  he  was 
asked  to  do;  until  it  became  a  matter  of  habit  to  give 
him  the  first  opportunity  to  handle  whatever  new  re- 
sponsibilities arose  as  the  business  grew.  This  type 
of  man  rises  to  the  head  of  an  institution  as  inevita- 
bly as  cream  comes  to  the  top  of  milk.  His  ability 
to  assume  and  make  good  on  the  varied  tasks  en- 
trusted to  him  gives  him  a  broad  grasp  of  the  business 
and  develops  individual  competency  and  the  sense  of 
power  which  is  the  product  of  responsibility. 

The  word  "responsible"  really  means  "ability  to 
respond,"  which  is  about  as  true  a  definition  of  "co- 
Responsi-    Operation"  as  could  be  framed.     The  per- 
bUity—Co-  son  who  Cultivates  the  ability  to  respond  is 
°^^  constantly  exercising  those  qualities  which 

characterize  the  best  type  of  manhood.  I  would 
qualify  this  statement  only  thus  far — that  such  a 
man  must  test  what  he  does  by  this  one  query: 
"Does  the  business  I  am  engaged  in  and  the  work 
I  am  doing  in  connection  with  it  give  the  con- 
sumer the  best  service  which  he  or  she  can  possibly 
obtain?" 

Advertising  flourishes  where  cooperation  is  under- 
stood and  practised.  A  baseball  team  will  have 
better  catchers,  pitchers,  basemen,  and  fielders  if 
each  member  of  the  team  unmistakably  and  enthusi- 


SALESMEN  AND  ADVERTISING  m 

astically  desires  each  one  of  his  fellow-players  to 
perform  brilliantly  and  to  constantly  excel. 

The  reflex  upon  the  man  who  practises  cooperation 
makes  him  a  better  man;  it  enlarges  his  individual 
powers.     It  instils  in  the  minds  of  his  associates  the 
idea  of  reciprocity,  thus  assuring  him  of  their  support 
You  Are    ^^^  ^®  needs  it.     Cooperation  reduces 
Bound      the  cost  of  production.     By  elevating  the 
Than  You    standard  set  for  all — ^because  that  standard 
^\^°     constantly  embodies  the  best  thought  of 
How  Much   each  individual  member  of  the  organiza- 
'^^     ^    tion — cooperation  improves  the  quahty  of 
the  joint  product  of  all  the  members  of  that  organiza- 
tion. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER  XIX 

The  idea  which  underlies  scientific  management  is 
intelligent  and  confident  cooperation.  Salesmen  will 
enjoy  Frederick  Winslow  Taylor's  "Principles  of 
Scientific  Management,"  1911  (Harper  &  Brothers, 
New  York  City). 

Harrington  Emerson's  books  are  authoritative 
and  interesting.  His  "Thirteen  Principles  of  Effi- 
ciency," are 

1 .  Intelhgent  Use  of  Records. 

2.  Planning. 

3.  Scheduling. 

4.  Dispatching. 

5.  Standardized  Conditions. 

6.  Standardized  Operations. 


198  AD VERTISmC— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

7.  Written  Standardized  Procedure. 

8.  Ideals. 

9.  Common  Sense. 

10.  Competent  Counsel. 

11.  Discipline. 

12.  The  Fair  Deal. 

13.  Efficiency  Reward. 


CHAPTER  XX 

ADVERTISING   OPPORTUNITIES 

THE  advertising  business  in  its  various  phases 
offers  opportunities  for  three  distinct  types 
of  men. 
First,  the  personal  salesman,  who  has  the  faculty 
of  clearly  grasping  an  idea  and  presenting  it  in  a 
plausible  and  sincere  manner.  He  is  essentially 
social  and  sympathetic  by  nature  and  quick  to  see 
things  from  the  standf>oint  of  those  he  approaches. 

This  type  has  been  very  highly  developed  and  I 
question  whether  the  advertisingbusiness  will  see  much 
in  the  way  of  improvement  for  many  years  to  come. 

Second,  the  imaginative,  creative  type  of  man  who 
takes  an  idea  in  the  rough  and  develops  and  refines 
Three      it  and  at  the  same  time  gives  to  it  the  most 
mstinct    clear,    distinctive,    forcible,    and  pleasing 
o/  Men     forms  of  expression. 
^   ^  The  successful  copy  writer  and  illustra- 

tor must  be  men  of  this  type,  and  while  there  are  a 
number  of  such  in  the  field  to-day,  it  is  my  convic- 
tion that  we  shall  see  a  higher  degree  of  development 
during  the  next  ten  years,  than  is  possible  among  men 
of  the  first  type. 

199 


200  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  third  type  is  the  analytical,  scientific,  admini- 
strative man  who  comes  into  the  advertising  field 
most  logically  as  an  accountant.  He  should  seek  to 
find  facts  as  they  are.  He  should  have,  of  course, 
sufficient  imagination  to  know  that  the  sentiments 
of  prospective  buyers  are  facts  when  selling  plans  are 
being  considered. 

But  primarily  he  should  hold  both  the  first  and 
second  type  in  line  by  continually  impressing  upon 
them  the  importance  of  coordinating  their  efforts 
with  his  figures  and  facts. 

There  is  more  opportunity  to-day  in  the  adver- 
tising field  for  the  third  type  of  man  than  either  the 
first  or  second.  We  have  probably  reached  the  top 
in  advertising  salesmanship;  we  cannot  go  much 
farther  in  developing  writers  and  illustrators,  but 
we  can  certainly  use  more  men  of  the  intellectual, 
scientific,  engineering  type. 

By  this  I  do  not  mean  to  say  he  will  command  the 
large  incomes  that  come  to  salesmen,  writers,  and 
artists  unless  he  has  both  an  analytical  and  synthetic 
mind  and  is  capable  of  managing  a  large  organiza- 
tion. 

He  must  have  both  executive  and  consecutive 
ability.  He  must  do  well  every  day  the  many  little 
things  that  come  to  his  desk  that  the  salesman  and 
the  artist  are  prone  to  ignore. 

He  must  master  detail  and  never  be  immersed 
by  it. 

The  word  "opportunity**  suggests  a  human  being. 


AD\^RTISING  OPPORTUNITES  201 

Imagination  is  the  key  to  opportunity.  To  man 
only  is  given  the  power  first  to  project  a  mental  pic- 
ture of  a  possibility  and  then  to  transform  it  into 
an  actuality. 

Progress  is  thought  that  has  found  expression  in 

physical  labor.     Work  without  thought  will  always 

Thought     ^^  menial  and  have  to  pay  a  heavy  tribute 

Mjist  Be     to  supervision.     Thought  which  does  not 

Expressed     -,     ,  .      «•  •  i«  i 

to  Be  imd  concrete  form  m  creation  makes  man 
Valuable     ^  mere  dreamer. 

The  line  between  success  and  failure  is  so  thin 
that  every  man  has  to  keep  two  thoughts  constantly 
in  mind.  One  is  to  know  what  he  can  do  better 
than  other  people;  the  other  is  to  know  how  to 
convince  all  who  can  profitably  use  the  kind  of  ability 
he  possesses  that  he  can  and  will  deliver  his  service 
without  friction.  He  must  know  what  he  knows 
and  know  how  to  cooperate  with  every  one  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact  in  rendering  service. 

First,  let  me  emphasize  the  fact  that  there  is 
nothing  mysterious  or  strange  about  the  business 
activities  which  are  covered  by  the  word  "advertis- 
mg. 

Young  men  who  want  to  study  advertising  often 
come  to  me  for  advice.  A  little  questioning  makes  it 
^  AdveHisin  P^^^^  thsX  they  think  advertising  is  a  mar- 
1  a  Strious    ioncttc  show  sort  of  thing,   operated  in 

uainess  g^j^^  strange  fashion  by  wires  and  hands 
not  seen,  and  speaking  a  lingo  all  its  own,  a  magic 
formula    for    making    money    rapidly — something 


202  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

which  can  be  acquired  in  much  the  same  way  that  we 
learn  the  multiplication  table. 

The  big  field  for  advertising  lies  in  its  application 
to  ordinary,  everyday  business.  The  business  of  pro- 
ducing, marketing,  and  using  advertising  space  does 
require  various  kinds  of  talent  and  experience.  But 
the  big  opportunity  in  advertising  lies  outside  what 
is  commonly  known  as  the  advertising  business — 
and  will  for  the  next  ten  years.  The  hey  to  success 
for  the  young  man  whose  sole  capital  is  brains  and 
energy  is  the  application  of  the  principles  of  adver- 
tising to  ordinary,  everyday  business. 

There  are  several  distinct  types  of  advertising  men. 

1.  The  publisher  or  plant  owner  is  the  man  who 
produces  advertising  space.  It  happens  that  he  is 
rarely  the  best  judge  of  its  value  to  the  advertiser; 

The  for  he  is  primarily  an  organizer  and  execu- 
Pubhsher  tjve.  The  best  publisher  is  the  man  who 
knows  best  how  to  get  and  hold  subscribers.  The 
men  who  own  street  railway  advertising  and  bill- 
posting  privileges,  painted  bulletins  and  wall  space, 
and  electric  signs,  are  concerned  largely  with  leases 
and  with  the  details  of  building  and  maintaining 
a  plant. 

2.  The  advertising  solicitor  who  represents  the 
publisher  and  plant  owner  must  possess  marked  sales 

y^^       ability.     The  advertising  solicitor  of  twenty 

Advertising  years  ago  did  not  at  all  resemble  the  man 

who  does  this  work  to-day.     Business  men 

no  longer  need  to  be  persuaded  to  advertise.    Adver- 


AD\TERTISING  OPPORTUNITIES  203 

tising  is  not  on  trial  now.  Each  advertising  medium 
has  won  its  own  place  in  economical  merchandising. 
Contract-getters  are  constantly  being  replaced  by 
men  who  know  the  characteristics  of  the  groups  of 
people  reached  by  the  mediums  they  represent,  and 
who  can  advise  how  best  to  use  the  space  they  sell. 
The  ideal  representative  advises  against  the  use  of 
his  medium  when  he  knows  that  the  advertiser's 
story  is  best  suited  to  another.  He  seeks  for  cus- 
tomers those  whose  business  can  best  be  advanced 
by  using  his  medium.  He  is  after  permanent  busi- 
ness, and  that  predicates  the  possession  of  satisfied, 
loyal  customer  groups. 

3.  The  advertising  writer's  work  is  to  find  out  the 
salient  points  of  the  merchandise  he  is  expected  to 

y^^  sell,  and  its  points  of  contact  with  the  peo- 
Advertising  pie  whose  Confidence  in  the  medium  makes 
them  accessible  to  him.  The  mere  writing 
is  simple,  once  the  preliminary  study  has  been  com- 
pleted. The  illustrator  differs  from  the  writer  only 
that  he  uses  pictures  instead  of  words.  Both  of 
them  know  well  that  in  the  interpretation  of  the 
advertiser's  message  to  the  group  which  can  most  be 
benefited  by  it  lies  the  highest  expression  of  the  art. 

4.  The  buyer  of  advertising  space  must  be  an 

analyst    and    a    statistician.     A    goodly 

*    The  p  •  J 

,  p^ygj.  of     measure  of  experience  and  common  sense 
AdveHising    added  to  this,  and  ability  to  read  human 
nature,  soon  put  him  in   the  foreground 
of  the  advertising  field. 


204  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

5.  Printers,  plate-makers,  and  typesetters  advance 
Printers,    beyond  the  limits  of  trade  lines  in  direct 
makersrand  ratio  to  tlicir  ability  to  comprehend  and  in- 
Typeseiters  terpret  the  advertiser's  message. 

Broadly  speaking,  one  of  the  best  openings  for 

the  young  man  who  wants  to  take  up  advertising  is 

gig       with    the    publisher.     Each    one    of    the 

Advertising  20,000  daily,  Weekly,  monthly,  and  mis- 

0'DT)0TtXl7tXt'U  t/  t/  1/ 

with  the  cellaneous  publications  has  a  permanent 
Publisher  ^\^^q  f^j,  ^^  mscD.  who  Can  increase  its 
revenue  and  eliminate  waste  in  the  distribution  of 
the  fruits  of  intelligently  directed  labor.  To  do  this 
he  must  insist  that  the  advertising  columns  of  the 
paper  be  as  informative  and  interesting  as  the  news 
columns.     It  is  not  as  easy  as  it  appears. 

Many  publishers  have  added  to  their  personal  in- 
comes and  made  their  publications  more  useful  to 
the  readers,  and  therefore  more  valuable  to  the  ad- 
vertisers, by  writing  copy  for  those  who  buy  their  ad- 
vertising space. 

It  would  pay  each  one  of  the  800,000  retail  dealers 
of  America  to  study  advertising,  the  laws  which 
govern  it,  and  its  methods;  and  then  apply  them. 

The  manufacturer  who  advertises  serves  the  con- 
sumer by  keeping  in  touch  with  him  in  gathering 
data  for  advertising,  and  by  teaching  him  how  to 
make  the  best  use  of  what  he  buys.  Every  merchant, 
every  salesman  behind  the  counter,  every  commercial 
traveller,  every  sales  manager,  should  know  what  is 
right  and  what  is  wrong  in  advertising.     Those  who 


ADVERTISING  OPPORTUNITIES  205 

neglect  so  to  equip  themselves  must  not  complain 
when  they  are  supplanted  by  those  who  have  done  so. 
It  is  noteworthy  that  universities  are  now  offering 
courses  in  journalism  and  advertising,  and  that  there 
Advertising  ^^^  Several  Correspondence  courses  in  adver- 
Courses  in  tisiug  that  are  well  worth  the  time  and 

Universities  ,,  ■,  ■,        rTr\  i  • 

money  they  demand.  Ine  only  warmng 
I  should  voice  with  reference  to  the  study  of  adver- 
tising applies  with  equal  force  to  all  theoretical 
knowledge.  A  fact  is  a  theory  that  has  been  demon- 
strated. 

All  learning  is  valuable  in  so  far  as  it  trains  one  to 
think  and  teaches  the  principles  which  control  the 
everyday  events  of  life. 

The  spirit,  not  the  letter,  is  the  thing.  To  imitate 
is  servile. 

Many  an  advertising  failure  is  the  result  of  follow- 
ing precedent  blindly,  of  applying  the  letter  of  the 
law  instead  of  its  intent,  the  slavish  imitation  of  the 
mannerisms  and  style  of  the  successful.  It  is  the 
frank,  spontaneous  expression,  allowing  the  style  to 
take  care  of  itself,  which  has  the  appeal. 

The  quiet,  unobtrusive  service  methods  of  present- 
day  salesmanship,  as  contrasted  with  the  boister- 
ousness  and  occasional  sharp  practice  of  its  fore- 
runner of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  is  paralleled 
by  the  differences  between  the  advertising  man  of 
that  period  and  the  writer  of  copy,  the  illustrator, 
and  the  solicitor  of  to-day,  who  rely  upon  a  simple, 
straightforward  story  to  the  consumer.     An  expres- 


206  AD\TRTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER   , 

sion  which  diverts  attention  from  the  main  issue 
— the  service  the  consumer  is  to  receive — is  wasteful. 
The  opportunity  in  advertising  is  the  opportunity 
which  exists  in  all  merchandising  and  selling — ^^o 
eliminate  waste,  and  to  install  and  maintain  simple, 
direct  methods  which  conserve  the  buyer's  time  by 
giving  him,  with  the  least  effort  on  his  part,  a  com- 
plete understanding  of  the  usefulness  he  is  to  have  in 
his  purchase. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER  XX 

"How  to  Get  a  Position  and  How  to  Keep  It," 
1908  (Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company,  New  York),  by 
S.  Roland  Hall,  will  help  the  beguiner  market  his 
ability. 

"The  Message  to  Garcia,"  by  Elbert  Hubbard, 
must  always  remain  a  classic  in  revealing  the  kind  of 
man  who  grasps  and  makes  the  most  of  the  oppor- 
tunities that  are  in  his  path.  Mr.  Hubbard's 
brochure,  "  Get  Out  or  Get  in  Line,"  is  typical  of  his 
sound  business  philosophy.  His  style  can  be  profit- 
ably studied  by  every  writer  of  advertising  copy. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE   ADVERTISING   MANAGER 

THE  young  man  who  is  considering  making 
advertising  his  hf  e  work  is  apt  to  think  that 
the  position  of  advertising  manager  is  the 
most  desirable  goal. 

In  so  many  cases  he  has  a  notion  that  the  work  of 
an  advertising  manager  consists  mainly  of  sitting  at 
a  desk  where  he  interviews  men  who  have  all  kinds 
of  space  to  sell,  photographers,  printers,  engravers, 
artists,  and  dealers  in  novelties. 

True,  there  are  advertising  managers  whose  only 

duty  it  is  to  act  as  a  buffer  for  the  man  higher  up. 

„,         And  to  a  certain  extent  this  is  worthy 

Advertising  work.     Many    of    them    show   keen    dis- 

Shmld      crimination    and    judgment    in    selecting 

iHred      from  the  mass  of  detail  which  comes  to 

their  attention  each  day  the  ones  which 

deserve  to  be  taken  up  with  the  sales  manager  or 

the  head  of  the  business. 

The  duties  of  an  advertising  manager  cannot  be 
strictly  defined  in  scope,  or  standardized.  In  many 
cases  an  advertising  manager  has  absolute  author- 
ity;  or   he  may   have  authority    only  to   investi- 

207 


208  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER, 

gate  and  make  recommendations.  Still  others  are 
clerks  to  whom  the  checking  of  detail  work  is 
delegated. 

The  duties  of  an  advertising  manager,  strictly 
construed,  should  be  those  of  a  sales  manager — ^he 
should  interpret  the  sales  policy  of  the  business,  both 
to  the  personal  salesmen  and  to  those  who  are  reached 
through  the  medium  of  printers'  ink.  My  twenty 
years'  experience  in  the  advertising  business  lead  me 
to  believe  that  the  advertising  manager's  job  is  just 
about  as  big  as  the  man  who  occupies  it.  Mr.  H. 
M.  Swetland,  president  of  the  Class  Journal  Pub- 
lishing Company,  once  said  to  me  that  he  couldn't 
make  a  trade  paper  any  bigger  than  the  man  who 
was  editing  it. 

Sometimes  it  has  happened  that  an  advertising 

manager,  with  his  first  broad  insight  into  business, 

has  grasped  the  possibilities  of  the  market. 

Advertising  in  its  relationship  to  the  group  of  people 

Can^Creaie  ^^^  sustain  and  make  it  possible,  better 

New       than  his  superior  oflScers  have.     And,  in 

consequence,   has  been   advanced   to  the 

highest  executive  positions  in  other  businesses  in 

charge  of  men  who  were  big  enough  to  appreciate 

creative  abihty  and  grasp  of  selling  opportunities. 

Instances  could  be  cited,  almost  indefinitely,  of 
the  rise  of  the  advertising  manager,  in  present-day 
big  businesses,  to  an  executive  position  having  a 
part  in  the  direction  and  control  of  the  policy  of  the 
institution. 


THE  ADVERTISING  MANAGER  209 

In  the  course  of  a  successful  business  career  every 

man   passes   through   four   distinct   epochs.     First, 

The  Four    ^^  ^^  days  when  he  is  earning  enough 

Epochs  money  to  pay  for  his  clothes  and  board 
Budness     and  have  something  besides,  without  being 

Career  dependent  in  any  way  upon  his  parents, 
comes  the  consciousness  that  he  can  support  himself. 

This  is  a  prime  satisfaction,  to  be  remembered 
fondly.  It  is  the  foundation  upon  which  the  execu- 
tive has  built  his  career — the  fact  that  he  can  say 
that  at  a  certain  age  he  performed  a  certain  duty 
for  a  certain  sum,  and  that  he  earned  what  he  got, 
without  any  pull,  preference,  or  any  consideration 
other  than  actual  value  rendered  the  business  upon 
whose  pay  roll  his  name  appeared. 

In  the  second  epoch  the  young  man  has  measured 
»ap  to  taking  care  of,  without  supervision^  responsibility 

Seamd  which  is  delegated  to  him.  He  realizes 
^pocA—    that  he  is  trusted  and  must  act  upon  his 

Without  own  initiative  and  in  accordance  with  his 
Supervvrum  ^^^^  judgment.  He  has  learned  that  hon- 
esty, dependabihty,  and  the  power  to  accept  respon- 
sibility bring  him  extra  cash  dividends,  dividends  in 
addition  to  the  sum  to  which  the  amount  of  physical 
and  mental  labor  he  can  put  into  his  task  entitle  him. 

This  is  the  position  occupied  by  many  travelling 
salesmen.  Unfortunately  for  them  and  for  the  firms 
they  represent,  sometimes  they  feel  that  this  stage 
is  the  Hmit  of  their  ability,  a  mental  attitude  which 
handicaps  them  seriously. 


210  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  third  epoch  might  be  termed  the  executive 
period.     It  begins  when  the  man  first  reaHzes  that, 
if  given  assistants  to  whom  he  might  dele- 
to  Sub-     gate  work  to  be  handled  under  his  super- 
Ts  Epoch    vision,  he  could  accomplish  more  for  him- 
Number     self  and  more  for  his  employers.     The  man 
who  reaches  this  stage  is  on  the  sure  road 
to  advancement,  for  there  is  always  some  one  ahead 
of  him  doing  work  he  can  well  afford  to  delegate,  in 
order  that  he  may  have  time  for  bigger  things. 

The  organization  which  makes  every  member  of  it 
feel  that  there  is  work  to  be  done  which  is  worth 
more  money  than  he  is  now  getting,  and  that  in  order 
to  handle  the  higher  grade  of  work  he  must  delegate 
wherever  possible  to  men  getting  less  than  he  is,  is 
bound  to  be  a  growing,  united,  progressive,  successful 
business. 

The  man  in  the  fourth  epoch  of  development  is  able 

to  command  the  cooperation  of  men  more  expert 

,    than  he.     As  the  head  of  a  department  he 

Command-  ,      .  ,  .  ,  .       .  , 

ing  Co-  greatly  mcreases  his  power  by  wmnmg  the 
oTBifMen  Confidence  of  other  heads  who  are  co- 
Is  Fourth  ordinating  with  him.  As  chief  executive  of 
a  big  business,  the  man  who  can  get  the  most 
help  from  his  lawyer,  his  banker,  and  all  the  experts 
associated  with  firms  from  whom  his  business  buys 
and  to  whom  it  sells,  is  worth  much  more  even  than 
is  one  who  is  prolific  of  original  ideas.  True  execu- 
tive ability  is  shown  in  getting  things  done  by  the 
men  most  competent  to  do  them. 


THE  ADVERTISING  MANAGER  511 

The  advertising  manager  should  delegate  as  much 

work  as  possible,  for  the  reason  that  by  working  with 

experts  he  will  get  the  best  work  done  on 

Judgment    ^^    most    economical    basis.     His    judg- 


More  Ittv-    meut  as  to  where  and  how  things  should  be 
Than       done  is  worth  more  to  the  house  than  his 

^dS    s^ll  ^^  ^oing  things  himself.     In  this  way 
he  is  bound  to  put  himself  in  a  position 
where  he  can  grow  with  his  institution.^ 

Fortunate  indeed  is  the  young  man  who  is  adver- 
tising manager  for  a  business  the  executive  head  of 
which  is  dominated  by  an  ambition  to  be  a  controlling 
factor  in  the  market.  For  such  a  man  is  always 
ready  and  willing  to  assume  increased  responsibiHty 
himself,  and  when  that  happens  will  delegate  freely 
the  work  he  is  doing  to  men  who  can  take  it  off  his 
hands. 

It  is  often  necessary  for  the  young  subordinate  to 
take  work  away  from  the  executive,  by  main  force. 
But  if  the  latter  aims  to  be  a  dominating  factor  in  his 
market,  he  will  approve  rather  than  resent  such  ac- 
tion on  the  part  of  his  advertising  manager.  Forti- 
fied with  a  simple  system  of  accounting  which  shows 
at  all  times  that  he  is  taking  care  of  the  responsibili- 
ties entrusted  to  him,  the  advertising  manager  is 
sure  to  advance  more  rapidly,  in  a  large  business, 
than  will  associates  having  equal  ability,  unless  it  be 
the  general  sales  manager. 

An  advertising  manager  should  keep  in  touch  with 
general  Hterature  of  all  kinds.    He  should  constantly 


212  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

watch  the  development  of  new  ideas.  •  He  should 
take  his  work  seriously,  and  develop  the  broadest 
possible  culture,  keeping  always  in  close  touch  with 
all  the  men  who  have  practical  experience  in  the 
details  of  the  business  with  which  he  is  connected. 

It  is  the  same  principle  that  inspires  the  head  of 
the  largest  business  to  use  the  best  banker,  the  best 
physician,  the  best  architect,  the  best  engineer,  the 
best  lawyer,  the  best  expert  in  every  line.  And  it  is 
the  man  who  entrenches  himself  in  modern  business 
in  this  way  whose  position  is  practically  impregnable. 

The  advertising  manager  should  be  the  peer  of 

every  one  of  his  associate  officials.     To  perform  fully 

his  function,   as  I  have  said   before,   he 

The 

Business    should  havc  the  supervision  of  sales.     He 

Should  Be  should  be  a  part  of  every  conference  at 

Book  to  the  which  the  policy  of  the  house  is  discussed. 

^Mana^er'  Advertising  is  effective  in  so  many  different 

directions  that  no  question  arises  in  any 

business  organization  upon  which  advertising   has 

and  can  have  no  bearing. 

An  advertising  manager,  in  order  to  comprehend 
his  responsibility  fully,  should  have  passed  through 
the  three  preliminary  epochs  of  business  experience 
and  be  in  the  fourth.  He  should  deserve  and  be  able 
to  get  the  complete  confidence  and  intelligent  co- 
peration  of  the  head  of  the  business. 

He  should  be  able  to  command  the  confidence  and 
cooperation  of  the  factory  superintendent  and  of  all 
the   salesmen   on   the   road,   whether   they   report 


THE  ADVERTISING  MANAGER  213 

directly  to  him  or  to  another  who  has  coordinate 
authority  with  him  in  sales.  He  should  be  able  to 
employ  (and  secure  the  best  results  from  his  personal 
contact  with)  expert  printers,  advertising  writers, 
publishers,  and  organized  advertising  institutions 
equipped  for  giving  service. 

It  has  been  well  said  that  a  bad  workman  quarrels 

with  his  tools.     The  advertising  manager  who  com- 

The  Strong  plains  that  he  cannot  get  service  from  those 

Manag^er    with  whom  it  is  his  business  to  deal  thereby 

Must  Be    stamps  himself  as  mediocre.     Ability  to  in- 

Mature  m  ^      ^  ^  ,      " 

Development  spire  men  with  whom  he  does  business  to  do 
their  best  is  one  of  his  greatest  assets.  It  is  the  qual- 
ity in  him  that  will  make  his  efforts  count  for  most. 
Advertising  in  itself  is  too  complex,  too  broad  in 
scope,  too  infinite  in  detail  for  any  one  man  to  master 
it  all.  The  man  who  accompHshes  most  as  an  adver- 
tising manager  is  the  man  who  knows  where  the  best 
work  can  be  done  and  how  to  get  it  for  the  institution 
with  which  he  is  connected.  But  he  cannot  get  it 
by  sitting  in  his  office  and  waiting  for  good  things  to 
be  brought  to  him. 

There  are  men,  capable  and  valuable,  who  have  not 

yet  learned  how  to  sell  their  abihty  in  a  market  where 

.       it  will  be  most  appreciated.     No  man  ought 

Where  to    to  be  morc  conscious  of  this  than  the  adver- 

Belt  ^the    tising  manager,  and  he  should  be  most  alert 

Secret  of    to  Icavc  his  officc  to  find  out  where  the 

best  service,  in  the  lines  he  can  use,  is  to 

be  secured  and  developed. 


214  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

I  should  advise  the  young  man  who  accepts  the 
position  of  advertising  manager  for  a  business  that 
has  never  done  any  advertising  to  proceed  about  as 
follows : 

Usually  he  is  expected  to  write  their  copy.  The 
best  thing  for  him  to  do — and  he  shouldn't  undertake 

, ,  .    ,     the  job  at  all  unless  he  is  able  to  write 

Advice  to  " 

Advertising  plain,   sensible,   ordinary,   everyday,  one- 

inTcon-    Syllable    English — would    be    to    saturate 

cernNewto  himself  with  the  ideas  by  which  the  best 

Advertising  e  .x.     x.  j  j. 

salesmen  oi  the  house  produce  permanent 
business.  By  permanent  business  I  mean  sales  to 
customers  who  show  their  satisfaction  by  repeat 
orders  and  a  constantly  increasing  volume  of  business 
each  year. 

When  completely  saturated  with  every  phase  of 
the  service  which  his  house  excels  in  performing, 
the  advertising  manager  will  embody  this  knowledge 
in  the  copy  and  letters  he  writes,  intensify  the  hold 
the  house  has  on  its  present  group  of  customers,  and 
intelligently  devise  ways  and  means  of  enlarging 
the  customer  group. 

The  next  step  is  to  select  a  printer  in  whose 
honesty  and  integrity  he  has  complete  confidence. 
He  should  accept  no  favors  of  any  kind  from 
him.  If  he  goes  to  lunch  with  him,  he  should  make 
it  a  rule,  either  to  buy  his  own  lunch  always,  or  to 
alternate  with  the  printer  in  paying  for  lunch  for 
both. 

The  teniptation  to  accept  little  favors  from  those 


THE  ADVERTISING  MANAGER  215 

from  whom  one  buys  is  great.  But  the  advertising 
manager    who   can  be  influenced    only  by   quaUty 

Geuing      ^^^  scrvice  and  who  insists,  in  the  name 

Saturated    of  his  firm,  upou  reciprocity  in  matters 

Injormation  of  this  kind,  has  gone  a  long  way  toward 

Essential     Jnguring  his  own  standards  and  getting  the 

best  service  from  those  with  whom  he  deals. 

A  good  printer  is  a  man  who  knows  how  to  manage 
his  own  business  successfully,  who  doesn't  estimate 
on  a  hit-or-miss  basis,  who  has  an  organ- 
^^PrirUer^  ized.  Systematic  scale  of  prices,  and  figures 
fairly  and  honestly.  Such  a  man  will 
usually  have  time  to  confer  with  the  young  adver- 
tising manager,  and,  because  he  is  a  good  business 
man  himself,  can  generally  be  of  assistance  in  the 
solution  of  the  advertising  manager's  problems. 

I  know  several  young  advertising  managers  who  owe 
much  to  having  given  their  confidence  to  self-respect- 
ing successful  printers,  having  a  regular  scale  of  charges, 
who  do  business  on  a  sound  but  profitable  basis. 

Everything  said  about  the  printer  is  true  of  the 
engraver,  the  paper  house,  and  all  the  others  who 
come  in  to  sell  to  the  advertising  manager.  The 
latter  should  never  forget  for  an  instant  that  he  is  a 
trustee  of  his  employers'  interests,  that  he  can  main- 
tain his  self-respect  only  by  handling  every  dollar  so 
that  it  will  produce  the  largest  possible  return  for  the 
house. 

Many  young  men  do  not  seem  to  realize  that  a 
high  standard  of  responsibiKty  has  a  reflex  in  the 


216  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

development  of  their  character.  It  also  attracts 
to  them  a  class  of  men  who  can  a&ord  to  be  discrimi- 
nating in  the  customers  they  select. 

The  man  who  buys  on  a  service  basis  is  bound  to  be 
cultivated  by  men  who  sell  on  that  basis.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  intimate,  confident  cooperation  between 
men  who  buy  and  sell,  each  giving  the  best  possible 
service  to  the  business  for  which  the  advertising  is 
being  developed,  is  sure  to  maintain  advertising 
itself  on  the  highest  possible  plane. 

Much  could  be  said  about  the  observance  of 
orderly,  systematic  habits  in  one's  personal  hfe  and 
in  relation  to  one's  business  associates. 

It  is  a  mistake  for  an  advertising  manager  to  allow 

any    man    holding    a    responsible    position    in    the 

organization  to  remain  in  an  indifferent  or 

The       an  antagonistic  attitude  toward  him. 

^Manm^^      It  is  the  function  of  advertising  to  create 

Must      good- will.     An    advertising   manager    can 

Command  ,  ,     ,  .  ,  . 

Good-wiU    scarcely  expect  to  organize  and  systema- 
in  Ihs     ^j^e   the   protection   of   good-will   for   his 

Orgamza-  ^  ° 

tion       house  unless  he  first  has  mastered  the  art 
of  creating  good-will  for  himself  inside  his 
own  organization. 

The  general  manager  of  a  large  institution  told  me 
once  that  his  advertising  manager  would  more  than 
earn  the  very  large  salary  he  was  being  paid,  even 
if  he  never  wrote  any  copy  or  did  anything  except 
promote  harmony  and  good  fellowship  among  heads 
of  departments. 


THE  ADVERTISING  MANAGER  217 

I  should  also  advise  every  young  advertising  man- 
ager to  shoulder  every  bit  of  responsibility  he  can 
make  good  on.  The  first  thing  he  wants  to  do  is 
to  create  the  impression  that  if  there  is  work  to  be 
done,  he  can  do  it.  Then  he  should  systematize 
his  own  work,  so  that  not  more  than  50  per  cent, 
of  his  time  is  occupied  with  its  actual  details.  A 
good  executive  can  organize  his  work  so  that  he  can 
be  free  at  least  half  his  time,  free  for  interviewing 
those  who  call  to  see  him,  and  to  go  out  in  search  of 
new  ideas. 

I  beheve  an  advertising  manager  should  accord 
at  least  one  audience  to  every  man  who  calls  on  him. 
If  the  salesman  does  not  convince  him  then  that  he 
has  something  the  house  needs,  he  is  not  entitled  to  a 
second  interview. 

The  advertising  manager  who  tells  callers  about 
his  own  achievements  and  what  he  intends  to  do  is 
wasting  time  for  everybody  concerned;  unless  he 
does  it  deliberately,  with  the  idea  of  stimulating 
more  valuable  suggestions  or  confidences  from  his 
listeners. 

The  best  way  to  get  the  whole  story  of  the  man 
who  calls  on  the  advertising  manager  is  to  let  the 

Hmo  to     ^^^^6^  ^^  ^^  ^^  talking.     Few  men  have  a 

9ei  All     story  that  cannot  be  told  within  fifteen 

CaUers      minutes.     A  man  who  has  posted  himself 

Can  Give    sujBBciently  on  the  business  of  the  house, 

and  still  takes  more  time  than  that  to  tell  his  story, 

ought  to  be  listened  to  respectfully  and  encouraged 


218  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

to  bring  in  other  ideas  on  which  specific  suggestions 
for  usefulness  could  be  based.  Nothing  proclaims 
the  business  ability  of  an  advertising  manager  more 
effectively  than  willingness  to  accept  ideas  and  sug- 
gestions, and  to  accord  credit  freely  to  all  who  bring 
them  to  him. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER   XXI 

"The  Job,  the  Man,  the  Boss,"  by  Blackford  and 
Newcomb  (published  by  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co., 
New  York),  is  a  valuable  book  for  an  advertis- 
ing man  to  read.  It  will  help  him  determine  the 
character  of  the  men  who  call  upon  him,  and  it 
will  put  him  in  position  to  advise  and  counsel  with 
the  executives. 

"Thoughts  on  Business,"  by  Waldo  Pondray  War- 
ren (published  by  Forbes  &  Company,  Chicago), 
are  suggestive  and  stimulating  to  guide  one's  own 
thinking.  It  is  well  to  remember  that  thoughts 
must  be  put  into  action  constantly  in  order  to  pre- 
vent the  thinker  becoming  a  dreamer. 

"How  to  Write  a  Business  Letter,"  by  Chas.  R. 
Wiers  (published  by  the  author,  631  W.  Delavan 
Avenue,  Buffalo,  New  York),  is  the  most  thoughtful 
and  practical  treatise  on  this  subject  that  I  have 
seen.  Anybody  who  writes  will  be  benefited  by 
reading  Mr.  Wiers'  book. 


CHAPTER  XXn 

THE   ADVERTISING   SOLICITOR 

THE  actual  work  of  selling  gives  me  greater 
pleasure  than  anything  else  I  do  in  business. 
I  have  said  many  times  that  I  do  not  be- 
lieve I  am  by  nature  a  salesman.  It  was  wholly  a 
bread  and  butter  proposition  that  started  me  selhng 
space  for  an  Iowa  newspaper  edited  by  my  father  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  It  was  there  that  I  got  what- 
ever education  I  received  after  graduation  from  high 
school  and  one  year  at  a  small  academy. 

My  first  attempt  to  sell  space  in  our  newspaper 
was  laughable.     I  tried  to  persuade  a  man  in  the 

.  „.  tombstone  business  to  have  a  clearing  sale. 
Attempt  at  I  was  reading  the  Chicago  daily  papers 
"^  and  it  seemed  that  was  about  the  only 
thing  the  retail  merchant  could  advertise.  Three 
months  later  I  called  on  the  tombstone  man  again, 
and  he  told  me,  with  considerable  feeling,  that  I 
had  done  him  a  great  injury. 

Asked  if  no  one  had  read  his  advertisement,  he 
answered:  "Oh  yes,  I  think  everybody  must  have 
read  it." 

He  had  lost  ten  good  jobs,  he  complained,  promised 

219 


220  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

him  by  farmers  if  their  harvest  should  be  good.  For 
his  competitor  had  told  them  he  was  going  out  of 
business,  and  the  farmers  would  not  have  believed 
it  if  they  hadn't  read  the  clearing-sale  advertisement. 
I  have  said  many  times  that  what  I  know  about 
advertising  has  been  gained  by  actual  sales  experience, 
from  which  I  deducted  fundamental  work- 

Advertising    .  .       .    ,  -,-  .  mi*  ^ 

Can  Harm  mg    prmciples.     1    am    quite    willing    to 

"*  S^f  "*  concede  that  advertising  can  harm  the 
advertiser  as  much  as  it  can  help  him. 
Advertising  is  a  good  deal  like  food.  Three  meals  a 
day  keep  one  in  better  condition  for  work  than  spas- 
modically gorging  and  starving  would.  Too  little  and 
too  much  are  equally  harmful.  Successful  advertis- 
ing will  always  call  for  careful  judgment  which  is 
based  upon  positive  knowledge  of  actual  conditions. 
In  Chapter  XXI,  I  indicated  that  an  advertising 
manager  who  wants  to  give  his  customers  the  largest 
possible  service  for  their  money  can  well  afford  to 
cultivate  the  cooperation  and  confidence  of  printers, 
engravers,  and  dealers  in  advertising  supplies  who 
are  creative  salesmen,  "creative"  in  the  true  sense 
of  the  word. 

This   fact  is   the   advertising   solicitor's  greatest 
opportunity.     He  must  know  accurately  the  merits 

A  Solicitor  ^^  ^he  medium  he  represents.     He  ought 
Should      to  know  what  the  medium  he  is  selHng 

What  He    will  do  under  certain  definite  conditions. 

la  Selling    rpj^jg  jg  ^  ^^^^  q£  j^jg  equipment. 

His  success  depends  upon  his  ability  to  make  sur« 


THE  ADVERTISING  SOLICITOR  221 

that  the  person  or  institution  buying  from  him  gets 
the  largest  possible  service  in  results. 

No  retail  merchant  ever  voluntarily  bought  space 
in  the  daily  paper  for  which  I  first  solicited  adver- 
tising. But  the  traveling  patent  medicine  man,  the 
ladvance  agent  for  the  circus  and  the  man  who  came 
to  town  every  now  and  then  and  rented  a  storeroom 
where  he  conducted  a  fire  sale,  always  called  on  us 
and  bought  space;  apparently  with  the  purpose  of 
appearing  to  be  Uberal  and  free-handed  spenders. 

Some  of  my  most  valuable  lessons  in  advertising 

were  gained  by  helping  the  retail  merchant  write 

his  copy.     When  I  moved  to  Chicago,  in 

^Ad^H'*^^  1891,  very  few  business  men  were  willing 

mentOnce   to  admit  that  any  one  could  write  their 

Prerogcuive  advertisements  as  well  as  they  could. 

One  of  the  marks  of  progress  in  adver- 
tising is  the  change  which  has  taken  place  in  the 
minds  of  advertisers  and  advertising  managers  as 
to  who  can  best  write  their  copy. 

Few  men  are  able  to  put  into  clear-cut,  understand- 
able English  the  sales-impelling  thoughts  of  a  master- 
ful, creative  salesman.  It  is  a  gift,  and  a  power — this 
knowing  how  to  put  words  and  phrases  on  paper,  or 
to  put  ideas  into  an  illustration,  so  that  the  adver- 
tisement will  influence  thousands,  at  a  time,  to  do 
that  which  the  personal  salesman  can  get  only  one  at 
a  time  to  do,  at  the  cost  of  a  talk  lasting  from  twenty 
minutes  to  two  hours  in  each  case. 

The  advertising  solicitor's  opportunity  lies  in  iin- 


222  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

derstanding  the  service  possibilities  of  the  advertising 

accounts  he  is  soliciting.     He  must  be  resourceful. 

J  a  1'  :     He  must  be  able  to  convince  those  whose 

A  Sohcttor  .  111. 

Must  Give    Dusmess  he  seeks  that  his  medmm,  plus 
ervice     j^-^  ^^^^^  jjj  Connection  with  the  use  of  it, 

will  give  the  largest  possible  service  to  the  advertiser;! 

The  service  idea  is  very  marked  in  advertising  sales- 
manship to-day.     It  will  be  more  so  in  the  future. 

We  have  outgrown  the  old  idea  of  salesmanship — > 
that  it  was  clever  to  catch  the  buyer  unawares  and 
**put  something  over"  on  him.  Review  mentally 
the  names  of  the  men  who  were  prominent  in  adver- 
tising salesmanship  twenty  years  ago,  and  compare 
them,  in  personality  and  method,  with  the  men  who 
are  leaders  to-day. 

I  have  often  said  I  was  trained  in  the  school  of 

salesmanship  which  taught  that  the  best  salesman 

_,    -,       had  the  most  turn-downs,  because  he  made 

The  New 

Order  of    the  most  calls. 
SoliciUng        rpj^^  j^^^  ^^j^  j^  ^j^^  greatest  opportunity 

in  advertising  to-day.  The  man  who  sells  adver- 
tising space  or  advertising  material  must  master  the 
art  of  having  practically  no  lost  sales. 

One  of  the  most  effective  means  of  winning  the 

Turning     Confidence  of  the  buyer  and  of  making  sure 

Down      Qf  getting  a  hearing,  as  against  competitors, 

a  Royal     the  next  time  he  is  in  the  market,  is  to  de- 

Futu!x      cline  to  sell  him,  even  when  it  is  apparent 

Business    that  the  Sale  could  be  closed,  if  it  is  evident 

that  the  purchase  would  not  be  profitable  for  him. 


THE  ADVERTISING  SOLICITOR  223 

This  is  a  form  of  advertising  which  the  advertising 
solicitor  can  cultivate  most  profitably.  One  of  the 
surest  ways  of  proving  your  sincerity  is  to  refuse  to 
make  money  when  you  have  a  chance. 

By  convincing  the  buyer  that  you  want  his  money 
only  when  you  can  give  him  the  largest  possible 
service  for  it,  the  advertising  solicitor  saves  himself 
many  fruitless  calls.  Then  buyers  will  regard  his 
call  upon  them  as  an  honor.  When  they  learn  that 
he  is  in  the  reception-room,  or  is  telephoning  for  an 
appointment,  they  will  feel  sure  he  has  something  to 
tell  them  which  they  cannot  afford  to  miss. 

In  this  way  the  advertising  solicitor  can  build 
permanent  personal  prestige  and  a  loyal  customer 
following;  thereby  overcoming,  to  the  largest  pos- 
sible extent,  the  general  handicap  of  being  able  to 
be  in  only  one  place  at  a  time  and  of  being  limited 
to  not  more  than  ten  efficient  hours'  work  each  day. 

If  asked  to  advise  a  young  man  who  wants  to 
become  an  advertising  solicitor,  I  should  urge  him  to 
get  a  position  with  a  well-established,  well-managed 
newspaper  or  magazine,  a  printing  or  an  engraving 
house.  Select  as  employer  one  who  has  a  reputation 
for  making  good  on  every  responsibility.  Pay  no 
attention  to  the  size  of  the  salary  for  the  first  year. 
Then  I  should  make  a  list  of  prospective 

'^jg  ^   advertisers,  selecting  those  whose  position 

Serums     jn  the  market  fits  them  for  delivering  a 
Job         -  .  ,  »  1 

larger   service   to    the    group    of   people 
which  your  medium  serves  better  than  any  other. 


224  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Kjiow  your  ovm  medium  absolutely.  The 
best  way  to  find  out  all  about  it  is  to  start  out 
selling  it.  Jot  down  in  a  memorandum  book  everj" 
question  asked  you.  When  you  go  back  to  the  office 
have  this  answered  by  the  man  who  knows  most 
about  it.  The  next  time  that  particular  question  is 
asked,  you  will  know  how  to  answer  it  clearly,  con- 
cisely, and  completely. 

Very  soon  you  will  have  at  your  tongue's  end 
clear-cut,  definite,  convincing  answers  for  practically 
every  question  the  buyer  will  ask. 

In  presenting  the  merits  of  what  you  have  to  sell, 
always  visualize  the  maximum  assistance  it  can 
give  the  prospective  advertiser  in  accomplishing  his 
plans  for  his  own  market. 

Avoid  discussion  of  technical  detail. 

Never  discuss  competitors.  This  is  the  safe  path 
for  the  young  solicitor;  it  is  the  custom  even  with 
the  majority  of  old-timers  who  are  in  position  to 
discuss  competitors  intelligently  and  accurately. 
Their  time  is  too  valuable  to  waste  upon  argu- 
ment. 

The  best  informed  salesmen  I  know  (if  competitors 
are  discussed  at  all)  name  the  particular  in  which 
they  consider  the  competitor  most  successful.  Then, 
conceding  this,  they  prove  that  the  house  which  they 
are  representing  is  even  better  equ^ped  for  giving 
just  that  kind  of  service. 

The  advertising  solicitor  ought  to  take  his  work 
seriously.     He  should   be    serious   in  his  approach 


THE  ADVERTISING  SOLICITOR  225 

and  in  his  discussion  of  business  matters  with  the 
buyer.     He  should  never  joke  about  his  own  busi- 
ness or  speak  flippantly  of  it.     He  cannot 

A  Solicitor  ,    ,  ^      i  i  i 

Should  Be    Command  the  respect  of  other  people  unless 

^Serious     ^^  himself  treats  his  business  respectfully. 

—Never     Confidence    and    respect   are    so     nearly 

synonymous  and  so  interwoven  that  it  is 

difficult  to  separate  them .    Confidence  is  the  only  basis 

on  which  permanent  business-building  sales  are  made. 

By  thi;?  I  mean,  not  that  one  shouldn't  joke  or  laugh 
and  have  a  good  time,  but  that  one's  stories  should  be 
clean  and  all  jokes  should  be  about  things  having 
nothing  to  do  with  business  and  in  no  way  reflecting  on 
the  honor  or  integrity  or  the  ability  of  the  people 
associated  with  him  and  the  house  he  represents. 

An  advertising  sohcitor  should  know  more  about 

the  use  of  the  medium  he  represents  than  the  man  he 

ffig       is   soliciting  can  know.     He  must  make 

Solicitor     tJ^e  man  to  whom  he  is  talking  believe  this. 

Must  Know  ,_^,  ,      .     .  ,  , 

—Bluffing  Ihe  surest  way  to  do  it  is  to  be  so  strongly 
Doean  t  Go  equipped  with  knowledge,  facts  and  figures 
about  how  his  medium  has  been  used  that  he  can 
discuss  the  subject  accurately  and  intelligently. 

The  advertising  sohcitor  should  be  definite  in  his 
statements.  He  should  not  deal  in  generalities. 
He  shouldn't  tell  a  partial  story.  If  he  gives  a 
definite  transaction  in  detail,  he  should  point  out 
both  its  good  and  bad  features,  and  endeavor  to 
show  how  the  latter  might  have  been  avoided. 

One  of  the  best  rules  for  an  advertising  solicitor 


226  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

to  follow  is  the  old  one:  "Plan  your  work  and  work 
your  plan."  He  must  avoid  antagonizing  the  buyer. 
And  for  that  reason  he  should  discuss  with  him  no 
subject  about  which  there  could  be  a  justifiable  dif- 
ference of  opinion. 

Under   no   circumstances   should   an   advertising 

solicitor  or  a  salesman  permit  criticism  of  the  house 

Criticism    he  represents.     This  is  the  most  serious 

HousTis    reflection  on  his  own  judgment  that  can 

Faial  to     be  made.     A  good  salesman  does  not  have  to 

Success     associate  himself  with  an  inferior  business. 

The  man  who  allows  a  buyer  to  say  that  he  is  all 
right  but  that  his  house  is  wrong  is  committing  busi- 

Sellin       ^^^^  suicide.     If  the  house  is  wrong,  he 

Space  should  quit  it.  If  it  is  right,  he  should 
Publishers  defend  it  and  absolutely  refuse  to  listen 
a  Big  Job  j-q  criticism.  Minor  errors  should  be 
conceded  and  corrected  without  discussion. 

The  best  businesses  are  constantly  on  the  lookout 
for  and  eager  to  hire  more  salesmen  of  the  right  sort. 

There  is  no  work  which  affords  a  more  pleasant 
opportunity  for  making  use  of  the  best  there  is  in 
one  than  in  the  sale  of  advertising  space  for  a  large 
institution.  It  means  working  with  13-inch  guns, 
it  is  doing  things  in  a  big  constructive  way. 

The  demand  for  big  men  as  advertising  solicitors 
greatly  exceeds  the  supply.  And  the  period  of 
training  which  fits  one  for  holding  such  a  position  is 
longer  or  fully  as  long  as  that  which  the  lawyer,  the 
physician,  the  architect,  and  the  engineer  must  have. 


THE  ADVERTISING  SOLICITOR  227 

It  is  the  old  story  it  takes  longer  to  lay  the  founda- 
tion for  a  twenty-story  building  than  for  a  two-story 

The  Hunt    ^^^^^g^- 

for  Young  men  must  be  ready  to  work  and 

Good  Men         _       x      i  x^'t      xi.  j        i       • 

eager  to  learn  wnile  tney  are  developing. 
Training  the  judgment  is  an  essential  part  of  prep- 
aration for  filling  big  positions  in  the  advertising 
business.  Fortunately,  judgment  can  be  trained, 
for  judgment  is  experience,  intensified  by  clear, 
analytical  thought.  Judgment  gives  men  courage 
to  try  the  task  they  know  to  be  fundamentally  sound, 
over  and  over  again;  convinced  that  ultimately  all 
obstacles  will  be  overcome. 

The  two  largest  publishing  interests  in  the  United 
States  are  conducted  by  men  who  are  conspicuous 
for  periodically  going  out  on  what  they  call  a  "man 
hunt."  The  officials  of  these  organizations  have  been 
recruited  from  all  over  the  United  States. 

Men  in  small  places  (who  have  swung  responsi- 
bility in  a  well-rounded  way)  are  sought  for,  to  fill 
the  larger  positions.  A  well-balanced  character, 
ability  to  see  below  the  surface,  courage  to  continue, 
no  matter  how  many  the  rebuffs,  confidence  that 
sound  business  principles  will  ultimately  win,  and 
a  rigid  adherence  to  what  one  is  convinced 
tor's  Fate    is  sound  basically,  all  tempered  by  cour- 

iMT^gliv     ^^^7'  kindness,  and  forbearance,  are  bound 

in  His     to  win  in  the  long  run. 

The  advertising  solicitor's  hazards  are 
many,  more  numerous  than  in  any  other  line  of 


228  ADVERTISmG— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

business  with  which  I  am  familiar.  But  the  master- 
ing of  all  these  diflBculties  gives  him  the  satisfaction 
of  achievement  and  accomplishment  which  main- 
tains his  own  self-respect.  This,  after  all,  is  the 
goal  most  worth  striving  for. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER   XXII 

The  editorials  of  Arthur  Brisbane  in  the  Hearst 
papers  are  well  worth  careful  reading  by  every  sohci- 
tor  for  three  reasons:  (1)  Mr.  Brisbane  understands 
the  group  spirit  and  knows  how  to  hold  attention 
of  a  very  large  portion  of  the  reading  public;  (2)  he 
keeps  in  very  close  touch  with  the  development  of 
scientific  and  philosophic  thought,  and  (3)  because 
of  his  masterly  interpretion  of  technical  subjects 
ki  plain,  simple  language  that  anyone  can  under- 
stand. 

It  is  my  conviction  that  an  advertising  solicitor 
ought  to  be  reading  continually  the  works  of  men 
who  have  given  much  thought  to  specialized  subjects 
such  as  Ruskin's  "Unto  This  Last";  George  Horace 
Lorimer's  "Old  Gorgon  Graham:  More  Letters  from 
a  Self-made  Merchant  to  His  Son"  (Doubleday, 
Page  &  Co.,  Garden  City,  N.  Y.,  1904) ;  Otto  Weini- 
ger's  "Sex  and  Character"  (G.  P.  Putnam  &  Sons, 
N.  Y.,  1906);  Crewson's  "Tales  of  the  Road"  (Gros- 
sett  &  Dunlap,  New  York),  and  H.  G.  Wells'  "Wai 
of  the  Worlds"  (Harper  Bros.  &  Company,  New  York, 
1909). 

All  these  books  stimulate  thought  and  suggest  new 


THE  ADVERTISING  SOLICITOR  229 

ways  of  approaching  the  solution  of  fundamental 
problems. 

"Getting  the  Most  Out  of  Business,"  by  E.  St. 
Elmo  Lewis  (The  Ronald  Press,  New  York),  is  a 
very  readable  presentation  of  modern  "efficiency" 
thought  from  the  standpoint  of  a  successful  adver- 
tising manager.  (Note:  I  intended  in  writing 
"Advertising-Selling  the  Consumer"  to  refrain  from 
using  the  words  "efficiency"  or  "psychology"  but  I 
really  need  the  word  "efficiency"  to  describe  the 
contents  of  Mr.  Lewis'  book.) 

The  Ronald  Press  publishes  a  number  of  other 
books  of  special  interest  to  advertising  men.  Speci- 
ally noteworthy  are : 

"Selhng  Newspaper  Space"  by  Joseph  H.  Chas- 
noff,  late  Manager  of  Advertising  Promotion,  St. 
Louis  Republic,  1913,  133  pages,  5|  x  8.  Cloth, 
$1.50. 

"Advertising — Its  Principles  and  Practice,"  Tip- 
per, Hotchkiss,  Hollingworth,  and  Parsons,  1915. 
575  pages,  162  illustrations,  Cloth  $4, 

"Effective  Business  Letters"  by  Edward  H. 
Gardner  of  the  Faculty  of  the  University  of  Wiscon- 
sin. Second  edition,  1915,  376  pages,  5\  x  7|, 
Cloth,  $2. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

3MLAJL-ORDER  ADVERTISING 

ADVERTISING    is    most    competent    when   it 

/\  serves  the  consumer  in  the  distribution  of 
jL  jL  worthy  merchandise  through  the  natural 
channels  of  trade. 

Some  people  think  that  the  mail-order  business  is 
an  illogical  and  unnatural  business,  because  it  elimi- 
nates the  jobber,  the  traveling  salesman,  and  the 
retailer.  It  is  not.  It  is  the  direct  result  of  intel- 
ligent and  adequate  advertising.  No  one  can  fully 
grasp  the  power  of  national  advertising  and  mer- 
chandising through  the  ordinary  channels  of  trade 
until  he  clearly  comprehends  the  possibilities  and 
the  limitations  of  the  mail-order  business. 

The  total  business  of  mail-order  houses  cannot  be 

accurately  determined.     The  business  for  1914  of 

the  two  largest  aggregated  less  than  $200,000,000. 

It  is  not  possible  for  me  to  believe  that 

Room  for    all  others  brought  the  grand  total  up  to 

t?/al  $1,000,000,000. 

Dealer  There    are   20,689,000   families   in   the 

United   States.      Their  income    is    about 

$27,000,000,000.  With  twenty-seven  billions  coming 

230 


MAIL-ORDER  ADVERTISING  231 

in  and  not  over  one  billion  going  out  in  mail-order 
business,  our  790,886  retailers  and  42,293  whole- 
salers have  a  chance  to  do  an  excellent  business. 

There  are  in  the  United  States  2,164  towns  having 
a  population  of  2,500  people  or  more  or  a  total  of 
41,140,847.  More  than  42,000,000  people  live  on 
our  6,361,502  farms.  This  leaves  about  8,000,000  in 
villages  of  less  than  2,500.  Our  42,517  rural  mail 
routes  serve  16,199,000  people.     These  fig- 

Mail-order  ures  prove  that  there  is  a  natural  and  strict- 
N^turaUnd  ^^  legitimate  place  for  mail-order  business. 

Legitimate  and  it  is  bound  to  increase  in  volume  each 
year. 
A  large  wholesale  jobbing  house  has  recently  been 
estimating  the  cost  of  doing  business  with  three 
classes  of  merchants,  i.  e.,  those  located  in  towns  of 
(1)  less  than  2,500  population,  (2)  between  2,500  and 
25,000,  and  (3)  25,000  and  up.  The  figures  prove 
it  does  not  pay  to  send  a  traveling  salesman  with  a 
full  line  of  samples  to  a  town  the  population  of  which 
is  less  than  2,500;  and  that  unless  the  merchant  him- 
self goes  to  the  market  often,  he  cannot  meet  mail- 
order competition,  for  his  merchandise  will  not 
satisfy  the  wants  which  the  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines have  aroused  by  the  story  of  what  is  newest 
and  best  in  the  large  cities. 

For  many  years  I  have  been  asking  my  dealer 
friends  this  question,  "Does  a  live,  wide-awake 
local  merchant  who  comes  to  market  at  least  twice 
a  year  fear  mail-order  competition?"     I  have  still 


232  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

to  find  an  instance  in  which  a  good  merchant  was 
unable  to  meet  and  overcome  it.     Mail-order  busi- 

The  Live  ness  depends  on  the  inadequate  stocks  or 
^trchant^  incompetency  of  local  merchants  or  serves 

Has  No  a  class  of  people  so  widely  scattered  and 
Mail-order  having  wants  and  desires  so  occasional 
Competition  that  it  would  uot  pay  the  local  merchant 
to  consider  them. 

This,  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  logical  field  of  mail- 
order business,  and  retailers  and  mail-order  houses 
j,j^^  are  recognizing  it.  It  includes  courses  of 
Field  That  instruction   by   correspondence,   awarding 

Mail-order  .  i»        ■  i  i         p  e 

Advertisers  premiums  lor  the  sale  of  soaps,  perfumes, 
B  tt^^Th     ^^^^>  ^^^  coffees  to  one's  neighbors,  buying 
Any  One    diamonds  and  household  furniture  on  the 
*^       installment  plan,   and  all  kinds  of  farm 
utensils,  building  materials,  bicycles,  buggies,  pianos, 
piano  players,  and  the  like.     Dealers  in  poultry  and 
poultry  supplies,  and  subscription  agents  have  been 
especially  successful  with  mail-order  methods.     The 
purchasers  are  so  widely  scattered  and  the  lines  so  sea- 
sonable that  it  does  not  pay  the  retailer  to  stock  them. 
Quite  a  number  of  nationally  advertised  lines  of 
merchandise  were  started  in  a  mail-order  way.    When 
Many      a  group  of  influential  consumers  had  been 
^fvertis^d  developed,  the  agency  for  the  line  was  given 
Lines      to  a  local  retailer,  who  cooperated  with  the 

Started  in  a         ,♦         i        i         ■••  rni  '11-1- 

Mail-order  national  advertising,     ihis  plan  has  been 
Way       most  economical  and  successful  in  introduc- 
ing such  articles  as  card-index  cabinets,  sectional 


MAIL-ORDER  ADVERTISING  233 

bookcases,  guaranteed  hosiery,  tailors-to-the-trade 
supplies,  washing  machines,  safety  razors,  typewriters, 
and  cameras. 

Each  mail-order  house  builds  its  own  consumer 
group.  The  sum  total  of  these  small  groups  con- 
stitutes one  great  group  which  buys  by  mail.  There 
are  a  number  of  pubhcations  of  national  circulation 
whose  subscription  lists  are  the  result  of  sending 
circulars  through  the  mails.  There  are  some  which 
are  called  "mail-order  papers." 

Those  who  subscribe  by  mail  are  most  likely  to  buy 
by  mail.  In  Augusta,  Me.,  a  city  of  13,000,  two 
Chooting  publishing  houses  send  out,  each  day  of  the 
the  Medium  year,  an  average  of  more  than  a  carload  of 
Mail-order  mail-ordcr  matter.  To  look  through  the 
Advertising  advertising  columns  of  these  publications, 
to  answer  the  advertisements,  and  to  study  the  fol- 
low-up material  would  be  a  liberal  education  in  mail- 
order methods. 

No  mail-order  business  that  I  know  of  has  been 
successful  in  attempting  to  sell  direct  from  its  adver- 
tisements. 

Mail-order  advertising  aims  to  locate  possible 
buyers.     Whether  or  not  a  mail-order  business  will 

Fniim      P^y  depends  upon  the  contents  of  the  cata- 

up  Systems  logues,  printed  literature,  and  sales  letters 

in^ery    which  are  sent  out  to  follow  an  inquiry. 

Mail-order  Many  of  the  mail-order  businesses  which 

have  accumulated  money  during  the  last 

twenty  years  have  been  based  on  plausible  but  in- 


234  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

sincere  appeals.     But  the  government  has  put  most 
of  these  fakes  out  of  business. 

Mail-order  houses  which  make  good  on  their  pro- 
mises merit  the  confidence  their  customers  have  in 
g^^^^      them.     Their  catalogues  are  informative. 
Producing   modcls  of  logical  and  emotional  appeal,  and 
"iligh       could  profitably  be  studied  by  every  mer- 
Quahty     chant  and  clerk  who  handles  similar  lines. 

Used  by  i  .   i 

Mail-order  Houses  which  put  out  large  catalogues 
ouses  YeQ\on  cach  page  as  worth  several  thousand 
dollars  in  sales  power.  Each  department  is  charged 
with  the  cost  of  the  space  it  occupies  in  the  cata- 
logue. Therefore  a  high  premium  is  placed  upon 
ability  to  write  accurate,  informative,  sales-com- 
pelling descriptions  of  the  items  illustrated  there. 

Catalogues  are  not  sent  out  indiscriminately. 
Great  care  is  taken  to  prepare  the  mind  of  the  recip- 
ient for  the  catalogue  and  to  invest  it  with  value 
in  his  or  her  eyes.  Customers  who  have  not  ordered 
for  some  time  are  cut  off  the  mailing-list. 

Each  letter  or  inquiry  is  completely  and  cheerfully 

answered.     Each  complaint  is  given  courteous  and 

careful  attention.     The  confidence  of  the  buyer  is 

stimulated  and  courted  in  every  possible 

Creating  i  j*  j  i 

Confidence  Way,  even  to  sendmg  goods  on  approval. 

—the  Con-  Xhis  really  is  not  the  risk  it  appears,  be- 

o/  the      cause  the  postal  laws  of  the  United  States 

^BoZl"  are   strictly   enforced.     Our    Government 

deals  promptly  with  the  man  who  buys 

merchandise  by  mail  and  does  not  pay  for  it.   Express 


MAIL-ORDER  AD\Ti:RTISING  235 

companies  allow  buyers  to  inspect  goods  sent  them 
on  approval  by  a  mail-order  house  and  return  them 
to  the  shippers  if  they  are  unsatisfactory. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  (as  proof  that  the  mail- 
order business  does  not  encroach  upon  the  territory 
covered  through  the  ordinary  channels  of  trade)  that 
large  retail  stores  have  found  it  impossible  to  build 
successful  mail-order  departments  with  the  talent 
which  is  useful  and  valuable  in  serving  the  consumer 
over  the  counter. 

There  is  something  fascinating  about  being  able  to 

write  a  piece  of  copy  that  will  produce  direct  mail- 

-.  .,     ,     order  replies  within  a  certain  cost.     The 

Maw-order  \  •  m         i         t 

Copy  Must  preparation  of  mail-order  literature,  the 
OS  set  ^  answering  of  letters,  and  the  handling  of 
Prestige.    tJ^e  goods  themsclvcs  must  be  delegated  to 

Displays,  ,  t  i  i 

and  Per-  persous  who  realize  that  they  must  more 
"Zir^S'  *^^^    offset    the    prestige-producing    and 

of  the  confidence-building  effect  of  a  well-located 
store,  attractive  counter  and  window  dis- 
plays, and  capable  salesmen.  The  copy- writer  must 
understand  the  value  of  these  factors,  and  replace 
them  in  his  advertisements,  catalogues  and  in  the 
letters  and  other  "follow-ups"  he  sends  to  each  in- 
quirer. 

The  building  of  an  advertisement  which  shall  at- 
tract new  customers  for  a  mail-order  house  is  as 
severe  a  test  as  a  copy  writer  can  be  put  to.  Unless 
he  gets  enough  direct  responses  from  the  right  class 
of  people  to  make  the  merchandising  effort  as  a  whole 


236.  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

profitable,  his  work  is  wasted.  He  must  know  how 
to  tell  an  interesting  and  plausible  story;  he  must 
also  have  the  faculty  of  putting  into  that  story  an 
appeal  to^the  buying  impulse  which  will  bring  a  re- 
sponse large  enough  to  prove  constantly  that  his  work 
is  being  well  done.  He  must  keep  in  mind  the 
cost  as  well  as  the  stimulating  character  all  the 
follow-up  material  which  is  to  be  used  upon  these 
inquiries,  so  that  he  will  not  attract  the  merely 
curious. 

The  trained  writer  of  mail-order  advertisements 
knows  that  a  single  word  may  affect  seriously  the 
Every  Word  ii^mber  of  inquiries  received.     The  head- 
Must  £e    line,    "Increase    Your    Salary,"    brought 

Carefully     ,     .  ...... 

Weighed  in  twicc    as    many    inquiries,    m    tne    same 
Writing  a   pubHcatiou,  as  "Increase  Your  Income," 

mail-order    '■ 

Advertise-    the  body  of  the  advertisement  being  exactly 

ment         .i 

the  same. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  want  columns  of 
daily  newspapers  and  of  the  advertising  space 
of  mail-order  papers  is  devoted  to  "Agents  Wanted" 
advertisements.  The  consumer  undoubtedly  pays 
more  for  an  article  that  is  peddled  from  house  to 
house  than  for  an  equivalent  value  to  be  had  at  any 
reputable  retailers. 

It  is  safe  to  assume,  however,  that  as  long  as 
human  nature  is  as  it  is,  the  satisfaction  of  having 
one's  trade  sought  after  and  the  pleasure  of  listening 
to  a  forceful  sales  talk  will  make  it  profitable  to  peddle 
sewing  machines,  subscription  books,  enlarged  per- 


INLVIL-ORDER  ADVERTISING  337 

traits,  and  many  household  articles.     Almost  all  such 
agents  are  secured  by  mail. 

Manufacturers  whose  product  is  to  be  sold  by  can- 
vassers put  out  ingenious  advertising  and  follow-up 
The  Change  ^^i^tter.     The  word  "Rider,"  in  front  of  the 
of  One     stereotyped  but  none  the  less  dependable 
a  FFonder/uZ  words    "Agents    Wanted,"    brought    the 
meM^or'a   ^^^^  Cycle  Company  630  answers  from  a 
Mediocre    single  insertion  of  an  inch  advertisement  in 
"^       the  Youth's  Companion.     Something  about 
the  headline,  "Rider  Agents  Wanted,"  gave  the  old 
story  a  new  significance,  and  many  people  wrote  in 
who  decided,  when  the  agency  plan  was  explained 
to  them,  to  buy  the  bicycle  but  not  to  canvass  for 
sales. 

Six  pieces  of  copy,  with  different  headlines,  but  all 
telling  the  same  story,  published  on  different  pages 
'     Good      ^^  1-^^  same  publication,  brought  answers 
Mail-order  costing  from  8  cents  to  $1.54  per  inquiry. 
Should  Be  A  good  piece  of  mail-order  copy  can  carry 
Repeated    ^^  expenditure  of  from  $50,000  to  $200,000 
before  it  wears  out.    A  business  which  sells  a  course 
of  instruction  pays  as  high  as  $1.00  per  inquiry, 
and  makes  good  money  on  each  of  seven  follow- 
up  letters  which  are  sent  out  within  the  next  eighteen 
months. 

The  best  foundation  for  a  mail-order  business  is 
the  list  of  names  resulting  from  dragnet  advertise- 
ments in  mediums  of  general  circulation. 

Businesses  have  also  been  built  up  by  circularizing 


£38  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

lists  of  names.     Several  houses  make  a  specialty  of 
listing   dealers   according  to  sections,  ratings,  and 

the   kind   of    merchandise   handled,    and 

jYames  of   guarantee  the  names  to  be  live  and  that 

Possible     i]^Q  addresses  are  correct.     There  is  also  a 

business  in  selling  names  that  are  taken 
from  answers  to  mail-order  advertisements.  At  clip- 
ping bureaus  one  can  buy  lists  of  the  names  of 
persons  who  are  accustomed  to  travel,  those  who  are 
reported  ill  of  certain  diseases,  those  who  contemplate 
building,  and  other  information  which  is  gathered 
from  the  newspapers. 

Seldom  are  mail-order  advertisements  used  for 
any  other  purpose  than  to  get  new  names  of  possible 
customers.  Some  houses  have  used  large  space  in 
order  to  get  a  certain  prestige.  But  in  mail-order 
work  the  custom  is  to  use  no  more  space  than  is 
necessary  to  locate  a  possible  buyer.  Prestige-build - 
,    .  ing  and  confidence-developing  work  must 

Advertising  be  done  by  the  catalogue  and  follow-up  lit- 

on  the  For  many  years  a  certain  large  seed  house 

^^  that  sends  out  more  than  500,000  catalogues 
during  December  and  January  has  used  large  space 
in  publications  which  have  big  circulations  in 
March.  Apparently  the  aim  was  to  get  new  in- 
quiries f©r  the  catalogues.  But  in  reality  it  is  to 
centre  attention  upon  the  catalogues  already  placed 
in  these  500,000  homes,  and  to  stimulate  immediate 
purchases. 


MAIL-ORDER  ADVERTISING  239 

Much  of  the  "Agents  Wanted'*  misleading  mail- 
order advertising  has  been  barred  out  by  the  better 

Writing     class  of  national  publications.     It  will  be 

Mail  Order  refused  by  large  daily  newspapers  as  soon 

True       as  their  publishers  realize  that  the  confi- 

Traimng    ^qj^qq  of  the  reader  is  an  asset  which  should 

not  be  trifled  with  by  advertisers  who  do  not  make 

good  in  every  way. 

Many  men  who  have  been  successful  in  planning 
and  writing  mail-order  copy  have  found  a  larger  and 
more  profitable  market  for  their  ability  in  connection 
with  the  estabhshed  channels  of  trade. 

For  many  Hues  of  business,  then,  mail-order 
methods  of  locating  and  selhng  the  customer  are 
most  economical,  and  for  the  introduction  of  a  prod- 
uct often  afford  a  quicker,  more  satisfactory,  and 
more  profitable  national  distribution  than  could  be 
secured  in  any  other  way. 

REFERENCES   ON   CHAPTER  XXHI 

A  live  and  readable  monthly,  the  Mail  Order 
Journal  (Chicago),  contains  all  the  news  about  mail- 
order advertising  and  much  valuable  information 
about  general  advertising. 

In  1900  the  Sawyer  Publishing  Company,  Water- 
ville.  Me.,  issued  an  interesting  book,  "Secrets  of  the 
Mail  Order  Trade."  Though  much  of  its  data  is 
now  obsolete,  it  is  well  worth  reading  as  an  historical 
document. 

A  complete  series  of  the  catalogues  of  any  great 


240  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

mail-order  house  would  give  one  the  most  graphic 
history  of  the  development  of  mail-order  methods 
and  ideas. 

By  answering  the  advertisements  and  reading  the 
follow-up  matter  sent  out  by  a  successful  mail-order 
house  one  can  make  sure  that  one's  information  is 
up  to  date.  / 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

NATIONAL  ADVERTISING   AND   EXCLUSIVE   DEALERS 

ONE  of  the  fallacies  which  an  advertising  man 
must  combat  constantly  is  the  statement 
that  if  a  little  advertising  is  good,  more  of  it 
should  be  a  great  deal  better.  Advertising  is  like 
food — it  should  be  taken,  not  as  an  end  in  itself, 
but  as  a  means  to  an  end.  Three  meals  a  day  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  days  in  the  year  is  more 
economical  and  more  valuable  than  alternate  fasting 
and  feasting.  Too  little  starves  and  weakens;  too 
much  is  a  burden  and  does  not  allow  the  system  to 
function  properly. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  I  indicated  that  adver- 
tising will  start  a  business.  It  will  also  maintain  a 
business.  The  weakness  or  strength  of  mail-order 
advertising  is  at  once  evident  in  the  business  itself, 
for  advertising  is  its  foundation. 

We  see  quite  a  diflFerent  use  of  advertising  when  we 
consider  the  manufacturer  selling  to  the  exclusive 
dealer.  Here  advertising  is  the  factor  which  amal- 
gamates the  work  of  two  distinct  and  strongly  en- 
trenched forms  of  business.  On  the  one  hand  is  the 
retail  merchant  who  values  his  personal  reputation 

£41 


842  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

and  standing  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives; 
on  the  other  is  the  manufacturer  proud  of  the  quaHty 
of  the  merchandise  he  makes  and  appreciating  keenly 
his  responsibility  to  the  consumer. 

The   manufacturer   does   not   care   to   have   the 

identity  of  his  goods  lost  in  the  average  jobber's 

stock;  the  retailer  does  not  want  to  put  his 

An  Ar-     creative  ability  back  of  merchandise  which 

^'sdween     c^n  be  Supplied  to  his  trade  territory  by  any 

Manufac-    ^f  ^js  competitors. 

turer  ana 

Retailer         The  manufacturer  approaches  the  mer- 
BcnJit^of    chant  and  explains  that  he  is  looking  for 
Both       the  same  high  quality  of  service  in  placing 
goods  in  the  consumer's  hands  that  he 
himself  puts   into   their   design   and   making.     He 
knows  that  the  retailer  can  take  care  of  certain  ele- 
ments of  a  complete  service  to  the  consumer  better 
and  more  economically  than  he  can.     He  must  con- 
vince the  retailer  that  he  can  maintain  a  high  quality 
and  make  it  possible  for  him  (the  retailer)  to  serve 
his  community  with  the  best  at  the  least  cost  to  the 
_,,    ,,        consumer. 

The  Manu-        /-^  •  p  i 

facturers        Coopcration    of    such    sort    cannot    be 

trihute  AM  effected  unless  the  manufacturer  brings  to 

Possible    the  merchant  all  the  selling  helps  which  are 

Selling  j         j  •  x-         i  4. 

Help— the  produced  in  a  national  way  most  econom- 
^AdMy    ic^%>  ^^^  unless  the  retailer  puts  forth 
Push  the    the  best  effort  of  which  he  and  his  organi- 
zation are  capable  and  takes  advantage 
of  the  national  selling  helps  that  are  given  him. 


EXCLUSIVE  DEALERS  243 

The  manufacturer  can  afford  space  in  national 
mediums  which,  in  so  far  as  they  circulate  in  the 
retailer's  territory,  are  most  valuable  local  advertis' 
ing  for  him.  The  manufacturer's  national  adver- 
tising doubles  the  value  of  the  dealer's  local  publicity 
if  the  dealer  mentions  in  his  local  advertising  the 
nationally  advertised  lines  he  carries  exclusively. 

The  manufacturer  can  afford  to  employ  expert 
illustrators  and  the  best  copy  writers,  and  supply 
the  dealer  with  a  complete  retail  advertising  service, 
plates,  or  matrices  ready  for  use  in  local  newspapers, 
at  a  cost  which  would  be  prohibitive  to  the  dealer. 
Booklets,  window  displays,  and  sales  ideas  are  fur- 
nished him  at  the  minimum  expense. 

Unfortunately  the  exclusive  dealer  plan  has  been 

abused.     Therefore  many  retailers  hesitate  to  back 

an  exclusive  line  with  their  own  prestige 

Manufac-    and  hard  work.     They  are  often  right  in 

FaaLoive  ^^^  stand,  for  some  manufacturers  have 

Proper  uscd  national  advertising  as  a  bluff,  pure 
Assistance  ^^^  simple,  to  load  dealers  with  their  goods, 
to  Retailers  ^^(j  then  have  failed  to  give  them  the  right 
kind  of  advertising  help.  This  condition 
is  particularly  to  be  regretted,  because  it  takes  so 
little  money  to  cover  the  United  States  in  national 
mediums  and  so  much  can  be  done  if  the  manufac- 
turer acts  in  good  faith  and  advertises  to  arouse  the 
interest  of  the  consumer. 

There  are  a  namber  of  national  appropriations 
of  less  than  $100,000  a  year  each  which  include 


244  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

the  use  of  national  mediums  and  collateral  adver- 
tising helps  for  the  dealer. 

One  hundred  thousand  dollars  is  only  one 

Local      dollar  per  thousand  population,  but  it  makes 

^"dSut!  ^  wonderful  showing  in  carefully  selected 

to  Connect    publications  of  general  circulation.    Dealers 

National     whosc    trade   territory    comprises    25,000 

Advertising  people  find  it  profitable  to  spend  from  $25 

to  $50  annually  with  local  newspapers,  to 

tie  up  with  national  advertising,  and  it  is  the  most 

influential  kind  of  heal  advertising  they  do  in  their 

trade  territory. 

If  the  national  advertiser  furnishes  definite  sales 
suggestions,  the  dealer  will  buy  the  necessary  addi- 
tional local  advertising  to  work  them  out.  Most 
dealers  are  committed  to  a  certain  amount  of  local 
newspaper  space  in  any  case,  and  since  the  exclusive 
sale  of  a  high-class  product  is  a  trade-builder,  and  is 
profitable,  it  can  be  said  truthfully  that  local  ad- 
vertising which  cooperates  with  national  advertising 
more  than  doubles  its  own  value. 

It  is  possible   (it  is  being  done  every  day)   for 

national  manufacturers  to  word  advertisements  in 

Drawin     D^^^iiums  of  general  circulation  so  that  they 

Inquiries    will  bring  direct  mail  replies.     These  letters 

National    ^rc  the  dealer*s  best  weapon  of  defense 

Advertising  agaiust  mail-ordcr  Competition.     They  also 

to  Refer         °  *^  •  i    i  . 

to  Local    locate  people  who  may  be  trading  with  his 

^     *    competitors,  and  give  him  an  excuse  for 

paying  them  particular  attention,  in  order  to  get 


EXCLUSIVE  DEALERS  245 

them  into  his  store  and  demonstrate  the  superiority 
of  his  service. 

Luckily  there  are  scattered  throughout  the  United 
States  dealers  who  are  as  good  judges  of  national 
advertising  campaigns  as  they  are  of  merchandise. 
And  the  manufacturer  who  makes  a  superior  product 
and    supplements   it   with   a   national    advertising 
campaign  which  reflects  the  sincerity  and  honesty 
that  goes  into  his  merchandise  will  get  the  coopera- 
tion of  intelligent  dealers  the  minute  his  salesmen 
show  them  his  national  and  local  advertising  plans. 
Selling  goods  to  one  dealer  in  a  commimity  appeals 
particularly  to  the  manufacturer  of  high-grade  mer- 
chandise.    There  are  559,000  families  in 
One^Dealer  th^  United  States  having  incomes  of  $6,000 
Appeals    a  year  or  more.     Their  trade  is  worth  while. 
to  Manu-    The  progressive  dealer  makes  a  bid  for  it 
High^rc^e  ^y  having  the  exclusive  sale  of  high-grade, 
Mer-      nationally  advertised  goods.     They  give 

chandtse     ,.  .  iitii  11.1 

nim  prestige  and  hold  the  trade  of  the 
wealthier  families  whose  community  pride  makes 
them  buy  goods  at  home  if  the  local  dealer  can  give 
them  the  best  quality. 

The  exclusive  dealer  plan  has  been  txied  out  by 
manufactiu-ers  of  automobiles,  pianos,  fine  silverware, 
paints,  furniture,  kitchen  cabinets,  stoves,  candies, 
and  shoes.  Even  in  a  small  town  one  can  pick  out, 
by  noting  window  displays  and  the  contents  of  the 
•helves,  the  dealer  who  caters  to  the  high-class  maga- 
zine-reading group  of  the  community. 


246  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  better  magazines  now  refuse  to  carry  the 
advertising  of  a  manufacturer  who  seeks  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  local  dealers,  imless  his  national  campaign 
is   adequate   and   accurate,   safe   and   conservative. 
How  the    l^s  censorship  is  winning  the  confidence 
Magazines  of  better  class  dealers  throughout  the  coun- 
ucting  the  try,  and  gives  manufacturers  who  have  not 
Dealer  by   y^^  taken  up  national  advertising  assurance 

Censonng       „ 

the        of  success  whcn  they  do. 

Advertising         mi.         -.^      i,      '      e  i   ^  ^      • 

of  the  ^"'^  <^^v   basis  tor  successful  exclusive 

Mamtfac-   dealer  distribution  is  cooperation  between  a 

high-class  manufacturer  and  a  high-class 

retailer,  each  doing  to  the  best  of  his  ability  that 

which  he  is  best  fitted  to  perform. 

Advertising,  which  is  the  cementing  factor  of  this 
relationship,  often  gets  results  much  greater  than  the 
financial  outlay  would  seem  to  warrant.  It  appears 
to  develop  power  as  a  lever  does.  It  brings  out  the 
latent  force  of  both  manufacturer  and  retailer  as 
nothing  else  can. 

Certainly  the  retailer  who  has  a  choice  between 
a  fine  fine  of  goods  made  by  a  firm  which  does  no 
Xhe       general  advertising  and  a  line  equally  good 
Advertising  Lacked  by  a  broad  and  skillfully  executed 
turer  Gets   plan  of  general  advertising  will  not  hesitate. 
ence^wUh    -^^^  the  man  who  makes  a  superior  product 
Live  Dealers  and  supplements  his  service  to  the  consumer 
by  national  advertising  and  sales-building  coopera- 
tion with  dealers  cannot  afford  to  identify  himself 
with  a  second-rate  dealer,  or  to  allow  his  line  to  be 


EXCLUSIVE  DEALERS  247 

sold  by  one  who  will  not  cooperate  with  him  earnestly, 
vigorously,  and  honestly. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  people  who  read  general  mag- 
azines and  do  not  find  the  goods  advertised  at  any 
local  dealer's  are  inclined  to  consider  it  a  re- 
^^HaMle^   flection  upon  the  dealer  rather  than  upon 
Advertised  the  manufacturer. 

Reflection         Produccrs    who    advertise    nationally 
l)eder      should   remain   unrepresented   in   a  com- 
munity rather  than  allow  an  incompetent 
or   unsympathetic   local   representative   to   weaken 
their  prestige  and  lower  the  standard  of  service  which 
they  have  estabhshed. 

A  cooperative  arrangement  is  impossible  if  either 
manufacturer  or  retailer  is  doing  business  on  a  price 
basis.  Unless  service  to  the  consumer,  which  is 
nothing  less  than  permanent  satisfaction,  is  the  goal 
of  both  manufacturer  and  dealer,  this  form  of  mer- 
chandising must  fail. 

It  is  not  altogether  necessary  that  the  manufac- 
turer use  national  mediums.     For  certain  territories 
he  may  use  publications  which  cover  them 

Advertising    •  i  i  i  -n  i 

in  Re-  m  ^  broad  general  way.  r  or  several  years 
stncted  g^  certain  manufacturer  selling  almost  ex- 
clusively  to  dealers  located  within  the  State 
of  Iowa  has  used  three  agricultural  papers  which 
cover  Iowa.  Daily  papers  published  at  wholesale 
markets  are  as  competent  as  national  magazines  to 
reach  influential  consumers  and  get  the  cooperation 
of  local  dealers  within  the  territory  which  they  cover. 


248  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

There  are  manufacturers  who  do  no  general  adver- 
tising, but  furnish  the  dealer  with  electrotypes,  book- 
lets, mailing  cards,  form  letters,  posters,  hangers, 
window  displays,  motion-picture  slides,  premiums, 
and  novelties.     A  tailor-to-the-trade  establishment 
AdveHisinq  which  had  built  up  a  large  business  in  this 
Service     way  spcut  about  $100,000  for  devices  of 
Dealers     this  kind  and  put  on  a  campaign  in  five 
Includes    national   magazines,   including   a   double- 
qf  Different  spread  in  the  Saturday  Evening  Post,  with- 
out increasing  its  total  annual  advertising 
expenditure.     Mailing  cards  and  form  letters  were 
largely   replaced   by   national   magazine   publicity, 
because  it  sells  both  consumer  and  dealer.     The  net 
result  was  more  consumer  effect  for  the  same  money, 
and  therefore  more  dealer  cooperation. 

REFERENCES  ON  CPIAPTER  XXIV 

The  campaigns  of  national  advertisers  who  dis- 
tribute through  exclusive  dealers  are  the  best  mate- 
rial for  the  student.  Manufacturers  who  use  this 
method  of  distribution  and  dealers  who  cooperate 
with  them  will  undoubtedly  furnish  information  in 
detail  to  any  persons  entitled  to  it. 

Each  campaign  is  individual  and  distinct,  and  has 
solved  its  various  problems  in  its  own  way. 

To  copy  the  campaign  of  another  would  defeat 
your  purpose. 

The  creators  of  new  ideas  and  new  ways  of  dressing 
up  the  old  story  make  v«ry  good  money. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

TRADEMARKS 

WE  WANT  to  consider,  first,  what  the  trade- 
mark is  worth  to  the  consumer. 
I  can  think  of  no  real  reason  why  the  con- 
sumer should  prefer  goods  which  do  not  bear  a  trade- 
mark. He  sometimes  has  a  notion  that  they  cost 
less  than  goods  of  equal  merit  which  are  sold  under  a 
trademark.  But  that  wrong  notion  has  been  bred  by 
a  certain  wasteful  kind  of  advertising  effort  which 
aimed  to  develop  a  bargain-seeking  class  of  buyers. 

Merchandise  without  a  trademark  lacks  backing. 
People  who  buy  things  because  they  are  cheap  or 
because  they  are  so-called  bargains  are  wasting  their 
substance.  The  purchaser  of  a  bargain  assumes  all 
responsibihty  for  the  quahty  of  the  merchandise. 
So  many  of  us  are  willing  to  do  this  because  we  do  not 
realize  how  httle  our  judgment  of  value  is  worth. 

Most  of  us  are  qualified  to  judge  the  value  of 

only  the  few  lines  of  merchandise  with  which  we  have 

What  Is    ^^^  much  experience.     The^highest-salaried 

Our       men  in  large  mercantile  establishments  are 

Judgment   the  buycrs.     Not  until  they  have  had  years 

Worth      qI  selhng  exj>erience  are  they  entrusted 

with  the  responsibihty  of  selecting  from  the  mass 

249 


250  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

of  mixed  qualities  that  which  is  worthy.  Much 
of  the  talk  about  the  high  cost  of  living  is  fathered 
by  the  flimsy,  useless  bargain  which  pleases  for  the 
moment  but  does  not  contribute  at  all  to  the  comfort 
and  satisfaction  of  the  home.  But  the  present-day 
consumer  is  beginning  to  demand  utility  in  mer- 
chandise. 

Some  retailers  who  will  not  handle  goods  bearing 
the  manufacturer's  trademark  are  sincere  in  this 
stand.  They  feel  the  responsibility  of  giv- 
°£etoeen"  ^^S  to  the  merchandise  they  sell  the  author- 
Manufac-  Jty  of  their  own  endorsement.  This  seems 
and  Dealer  to  me  one  of  the  most  encouraging  features 
^C^nsmner  ^^  modem  business.  It  means  that  with 
the  best  retailers  and  the  best  manufac- 
turers, both  animated  by  a  high  sense  of  responsibility'^ 
to  the  consumer,  a  degree  of  intimate  cooperation  will 
be  possible  which  the  merchandising  world  has  not  yet 
known.     And  the  consumer  will  benefit  thereby. 

It  has  not  yet  occurred  to  most  of  us  that  a  trade- 
mark adds  to  the  value  of  merchandise.  Persons 
who  have  declared  that  such  was  not  the  case  have 
in  the  next  breath  admitted  that  the  piano  which  they 
own  would  not  be  so  valuable,  even  if  they  knew  it 
to  be  the  very  same  instrument,  were  the  gold  leaf 
which  reproduces  the  trademark  removed  from  it. 

The  trademark  fixes  responsibility.  The  manu- 
facturer knows  he  must  make  good  on  the  standard 
which  he  has  established  for  his  product,  and  the 
consumer  actually  enjoys  more  and  derives  a  greater 


TRADEIVIARKS  251 

satisfaction  from  an  article  the  fine  points  of  which 
he  has  been  educated  to  appreciate,  an  article  from 
which  he  has  been  taught  to  extract  the  largest 
amount  of  usefulness. 

Trademarked  goods,  intelligently  advertised,  yield 
the  manufacturer  a  larger  return  for  his  labor,  and 
cost  the  consumer  less  money. 

Greater  .  .  .   .        ,.  . 

Profit  to  Ihe  maker  of  a  competitive  une  of  mer- 
^^Lmi^'    chandise  must  base  his  selling  price  on  the 

Cost  to  cost  of  manufacture  and  distribution. 
This  price  is  unstable.  Its  fluctuations  de- 
pend upon  the  aggressiveness  or  lack  of  intelhgence  of 
his  competitors.  Under  such  circumstances,  he  can- 
not institute  or  maintain  the  economies  which  are 
possible  when  he  can  count  on  a  stable  price,  no 
matter  what  his  competitors  may  or  may  not  do. 

Given  a  profit  of  25  per  cent,  on  the  selling  price, 
grocers  are  glad  to  push  goods  sold  under  a  well- 
advertised  trademark.  On  unadvertised  lines  they 
demand  from  33 1  to  100  per  cent.  The  difference 
represents  the  manufacturer's  cost  of  advertising. 
Yet  the  article  costs  the  consumer  no  more. 

Advertising,  'properly  done,  serves  consumer,  dealer, 
and  manufacturer.  It  saves  the  consumer's  time 
and  adds  to  his  satisfaction ;  it  multiplies  the  dealer's 
"turnover"  and  increases  his  profits,  and  gives  the 
manufacturer  a  stable  market  with  all  the  economies 
incident  thereto  which  I  have  covered  in  Chapter  II. 

The  advantages  to  the  manufacturer  of  putting  a 
trademark  on  his  goods  are  so  obvious  that  I  can 


252  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

think  of  no  reason  for  his  f aihng  to  do  so  except  that 
he  wishes  to  escape  responsibihty  for  them.  By  put- 
ting them  out  under  a  trade  name  he  recognizes  the 
principle  that  his  individuaHty  is  the  basis  upon 
which  he  must  build  the  largest  possible  influence 
with  his  fellowmen. 

Advertising  a  trademark  and  marketing  goods  un- 
der it  give  them  stability.     Stability  means  economy. 
It  is  not  a  physical  or  material  quality,  but 
Trademark  ^  State  of  mind  which  is  the  result  of  satis- 

Means       forfinn 
StatnlUy      taction. 

1  nave  said  that  a  trademark  on  mer- 
chandise invests  it  with  added  value  in  the  purchas- 
er's mind,  because  we  associate  trademarks  with  the 
creation  and  maintenance  of  quality  standards. 

But  the  worth  of  the  trademark  to  the  manufac- 
turer lies  in  the  fact  that  it  serves  as  an  anchor  for  all 
creative  sales  work  which  he  has  done  in  behalf 
of  that  product.  A  trademark  is  the  tangible  thing 
that  enables  the  manufacturer  to  tie  to  each  piece  of 
merchandise  that  he  makes  or  handles  the  prestige 
and  confidence  which  his  ability  and  integrity  have 
won  for  him  in  the  buyer's  mind. 

Mr.  Edward  S.  Rogers,  a  prominent  trademark 
lawyer  of  Chicago,  states  that  the  right  to  a  trade- 

j)g  j^gf  mark  does  not  depend  upon  invention,  dis- 
Hide  Your  covery,  or  registration,  but  upon  priority  of 

ATQ/iBTTtdTiC 

Under  a    adoption  and  use  upon  goods,  and  upon 
Bushel     contimums  occupation  of  the  market  with 
goods  bearing  this  mark. 


TRADEMARKS  253 

This  statement  is  interesting  in  that  it  implies  an 
obligation  on  the  part  of  the  owner  of  a  trademark 
to  be  aggressive  in  salesmanship,  to  dominate  the 
market. 

He  dare  not  assume  that,  his  trademark  once  es- 
tabHshed,  he  can  rest  on  his  oars. 

If  he  pushes  his  product  constantly,  he  may  be 
able,  later  on,  to  reduce  the  price  to  the  consumer. 
He  should  do  so  if  the  resultant  increase  in  volume 
would  maintain  the  same  net  returns,  even  if  it  did 
not  actually  increase  his  profits. 

Henry  Ford  is  a  notable  instance  of  a  manufacturer 
serving  his  own  best  interests  by  giving  to  the  con- 
sumer the  benefit  of  all  price  reductions  that  dom- 
inance in  his  market  enables  him  to  make. 

The  manufacturer  who  does  not  advertise  cannot  take 
business  from  the  one  who  does. 
Backing         ^e  may  get  some  business,  temporarily. 

Up  the     by  price-cutting  to  distributors  who  will. 

Trademark    .  ,  .  , ,  ..it 

fcUh  lor  a  larger  margm,  attempt  to  deliver  to 
Advertising  j^jj^  business  that  has  been  created  by  the 
producer  who  advertises.  But  manufacturers  and 
dealers  who  do  this  can  never  succeed  unless  the 
manufacturer  who  advertises  is  making  his  advertising 
support  a  higher  price  than  the  consumer  ought  to  pay. 
Temporarily  an  advertising  manufacturer  may  lose 
business  through  price-cutting  of  dealers  as  I  have 
explained  in  Chapter  XVIH.  Fortunately  proof  is 
abundant  that  the  merchant  or  manufacturer  who 
possesses  a  franchise  in  the  form  of  the  good-will 


254  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

of  the  general  public  is  stronger  than  any  of  the 
powers  of  pillage  or  thievery. 

Dealers  and  consumers  have  been  educated  to  be- 
lieve that  a  lower  price  is  a  confession  of  inferiority, 
and  that  the  cost  of  the  trademark  (apparently  paid 
by  the  consumer)  is  so  little  that  its  elimination  by 
the  non-advertising  manufacturer  gives  him  no  prac- 
tical advantage  in  the  market.  The  consumer  is  not 
benefited  by  the  extra  sales  cost  or  the  inferior  quality 
of  unadvertised  lines. 

If,  however,  a  man  takes  up  a  line  of  business  which 
has  been  established  by  a  manufacturer  using  a  trade- 
mark, and  competes  with  him  intelligently. 
Stronger  the  hy  advertising  and  straightforward  sales 
Competition  ^ork,  the  competition  is  a  distinct  benefit 
the  Benefit  to  the  origmal  manufacturer,  the  dealer, 

Xrlde-     aiid  the  consumer. 

marked  The  manufacturer  who  lets  his  competi- 
tors make  his  prices  loses  his  sense  of  re- 
sponsibility to  his  customers,  and  puts  a  premium  on 
mediocrity,  slovenliness,  and  carelessness. 

Legally  the  trademark  must  indicate  with  cer- 
tainty the  commercial  origin  of  the  article  to  which  it  is 
affixed.  The  device  or  symbol  has  no  value 
'^As^ect^  apart  from  the  business  itself.  The  courts 
have  ruled  that  a  trademark  cannot  be  sep- 
arated, for  a  price,  from  the  business  of  which  it  is  the 
visible  sign. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  register  a  trademark,  but  it 
is  always  advisable. 


TRADEI^IARKS  ^5 

In  many  foreign  countries  registration  of  the  trade 
name  gives  the  right  of  ownership  to  the  one  making 
the  first  registry.  In  the  United  States  it  is  merely 
presumptive  evidence.  Title  to  the  business  and  the 
right  to  use  the  trademark  depend  entirely  upon  pri- 
ority of  use. 

The  law  of  unfair  competition  has  been  the  most 
valuable  protection  that  users  of  trade  names  have 
had.  It  says  that  no  one  has  the  right  to  represent 
his  goods  to  be  the  goods  of  another. 

The  best  trademark  is  an  arbitrary  or  coined  word 
which  has  no  descriptive  quality  in  connection  with 
the  goods  to  be  sold  under  it.  It  should  be  of  such 
character  that  it  can  mean  one  thing  and  nothing  else, 
both  legally  and  practically.  It  is  quite  easy  to  in- 
vent a  word  which  is  easily  pronounced,  but  does  not 
appear  in  the  dictionary,  with  a  meaning  which  be- 
longs altogether  to  the  goods  on  which  it  is  placed. 
It  is  wiser  not  to  advertise  anything  like  "Michigan'* 
celery,  or  "Minnesota"  flour,  as  these  are  generic, 
descriptive  terms  and  could  be  adopted  by  any  one 
who  wants  to  enter  the  same  field. 

Before  deciding  upon  a  trademark  it  is  best  to  get 
expert  legal  assistance.  There  are  many  names  in 
which  no  exclusive  right  can  be  secured  because  they 
are  descriptive,  or  are  otherwise  legally  objectionable, 
or  cannot  be  protected  because  they  have  been  pre- 
empted. 

Several  large  advertising  campaigns  have  been 
held  up,  after  they  were  launched,  because  it  was  dis- 


256  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

covered  that  some  obscure  manufacturer  doing  a 
small  local  business  had  prior  right  to  the  use  of  the 
name  which  had  been  selected  for  a  trademark. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  elements  of  the  service  of 
a  national  advertising  organization  is  its  ability  to 
devise  effective  trademarks.  Years  of  experience 
with  trademarks  have  taught  them  where  the  shoals 
are  which  threaten  the  manufacturer  who  contem- 
plates adopting  a  trade  name  and  marketing  his 
wares  under  it. 

REFERENCES  ON  CHAPTER  XXV 

"Good  Will,  Trade  Marks,  and  Unfair  Trading," 
by  Edward  S.  Rogers  (A.  W.  Shaw  Company,  1914, 
Chicago),  is  a  most  interesting  and  exhaustive  pres- 
entation of  the  whole  subject. 

"Trademarks  and  Their  Advertising,"  1913,  by 
Charles  G.  Phillips,  president  of  the  Dry  Goods  Econ- 
omist, 231  West  Thirty-ninth  Street,  New  York 
City,  is  a  two-thousand  word  monograph  crystalliz- 
ing the  experience  and  convictions  of  one  of  our  fore- 
most trade-paper  publishers.  Mr.  Phillips  will  send 
a  copy  to  any  reader  of  this  book  who  requests  it. 

For  additional  reading  on  trademarks,  I  refer  the 
student  to  the  following  treatises: 

"Sebastian  on  Trade  Marks,"  "Paul  on  Trade 
Marks,"  "Hopkins  on  Trade  Marks,"  and  "Nins* 
Unfair  Business  Competition." 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

PRESTIGE-BUILDING  ADVERTISING 

EXPERT  salesmen  agree  that  their  work  must 
be  authoritative,  i.  e.,  it  must  lead  the  buyer 
to  accept  their  judgment  as  to  what  he  had 
better  buy,  instead  of  following  his  own  bent.     A 
The       capable  salesman  knows  more  about  the 
Salesman's  goods  he  sclls  than  any  buyer  can  possibly 
Establish-   know.     Of  couFsc  he  must  also  be  able  to 
ing  Prestige  produce  in  the  buyer  that  mental  attitude 
which  will  afford  him  the  greatest  possible  utiHty  and 
satisfaction  in  his  purchase. 

I  have  said  before  that  the  salesman  who  wishes 
to  establish  his  position  as  an  authority  on  his  par- 
ticular line  must  not  let  his  aim  be  too  apparent,  lest 
the  buyer  resent  it.  His  prestige  must  be  an  out- 
growth of  the  buyer's  satisfaction  with  the  goods  which 
he  is  accustomed  to  purchase  on  his  recommendation. 
The  most  satisfactory  customers  are  those  who  think 
they  buy,  not  those  who  know  they  have  been  sold. 

Prestige  is  that  quality  which  causes  others  to 
accept  one's  statements  without  question.  It  is  the 
crystallization  of  earnest,  faithful  work  on  the  part  of 
the  producer  of  the  goods,  in  realizing  the  best  quality 

257 


258  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

for  a  given  purpose  and  then  impressing  upon  the 

mind  of  the  purchaser  all  the  possibilities  of  usefulness 

which  the  merchandise  will  possess  for  him 

—the       when  it  passes  into  his  hands. 

^o/KSm*       Advertising  builds  prestige  for  the  manu- 

Without     facturer  and  good-will  for  all  his  products. 

Prestige  is  not  inherent  in  an  article,  but 

is  what  people  believe  about  it,  what  people  say  about 

it,  and  to  whom  they  say  it. 

The  prestige  of  the  political  leader  is  gained  by 

confidently  affirming  and  by  continually  emphasizing 

to  the  group  which  looks  to  him  as  its  leader 

Reiteration   that  he  possesses  certain  qualities.     He  may 

Gains       have  them  in  common  with  many  other  per- 

Prestige  •  i 

sons,  but  the  group  does  notreahze  that,  be- 
cause he  is  advertised,  and  the  others  are  not. 

PoHtioians  know  very  well  that  what  is  said  about 
them  and  the  manner  of  saying  it  measurably  affect 
the  amount  of  influence  they  have  with  their  camp 
followers.  Both  praise  and  condemnation  may  add 
to  prestige;  but  no  man  can  be  laughed  at  and  hold 
a  loyal  following. 

We  are  respected  as  much  for  the  enemies  we  make 
as  for  our  friends.     No  one  who  needs  the  support  of 

Prestige  the  public  dare  neglect  the  manner  in  which 
Depends  as  ^^^  story  of  his  achievements,  his  move- 

Mucn  on  \  ,    .  i  -i  •    •  i 

the  Manner  mcuts,  his  opimons,  and  his  ideas  on  certain 
Matter  of    subjccts  is  to  be  told  to  those  whose  appro- 
Four  Story  bation  he  would  win. 
In   many   instances   public   service   corporations 


PRESTIGE-BUILDING  ADVERTISING      259 

that  are  giving  real  service  are  unpopular  because 
their  officials  have  overlooked  the  fact  that  prestige 
can  be  gained  by  telling  a  story  scientifically,  i.  e., 
an  interesting  and  informative  story  which  will,  at  the 
same  time,  create  that  apparently  intangible  but  none 
the  less  real  factor  which  is  called  "favorable  public 
opinion." 

So  often  we  have  misunderstood  the  motives  of  pub- 
lic men  who  were  discharging  their  duties  faithfully. 
„,  We  have  regarded  their  refusal  to  talk  about 

Price  of  their  work  as  proof  that  they  were  dishonest. 
^^  Such  a  situation  has  usually  been  due  to  their 
misconception  of  what  is  true  publicity. 

Many  who  were  severely  criticised  while  they  lived 
have  a  high  place  in  history,  because  the  publicity 
given  them  by  the  historian  has  accomplished  after 
death  what  a  well-trained  advertising  man  could  have 
done  when  it  would  have  been  worth  while. 

Those  who  knew  intimately  and  came  into  per- 
sonal contact  with  Mr.  Taft  while  he  was  President 
A  Pointed  of  the  United  States  were  sure  of  his  sin- 
instance  verity  and  his  keen  appreciation  of  his 
responsibilities. 

Mr.  Taft  is  not  our  President  now  because  he  did 
not  understand  that  it  is  not  so  much  what  one  does 
as  it  is  what  is  said  about  what  one  does  that  adds  to  or 
takes  from  prestige. 

Some  day  some  writer  of  history  will  find,  perhaps 
in  Mr.  Taft's  personal  correspondence,  or  in  the 
private  papers  of  men  who  were  close  to  him,  proof 


260  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

that  he  possessed  qualities  that  would  have  gained 
abundant  prestige  for  him  during  his  term  of  office 
had  we  all  been  told  about  them  in  a  simple,  straight- 
forward, understandable  way.  Such  a  prestige  might 
have  been  produced,  I  believe,  that  Mr.  Roosevelt 
would  not  have  risked  opposing  him. 

By  neglecting  to  control  the  manner  in  which  the 
story  of  his  work  was  told,  Mr.  Taft  deprived  himself 
of  the  prestige  to  which  his  work  judged  alone  gave 
him  clear  title. 

Much   of   the   present-day   prestige   of   the   dis- 
tinguished men  of  the  past  they  owe  to  the  men 
who   recounted   the   tale   of   their   deeds. 
Masters     Many  of  the  master  artists  of  all  time  have 
Made  New  Hvcd   and  died  poverty-stricken,  because 

by  the  ^  ,  .  .         .  , 

Master  uo  Contemporaneous  historian  interpreted 
PuWcify  ^^^^^  work  so  that  their  fellowmen  could 
understand  and  appreciate  it.  Nor  would 
most  of  us  value  these  masterpieces  to-day  did  not 
art  dealers  and  collectors,  by  one  means  or  another, 
constantly  keep  up  our  interest  in  them  and  direct 
our  attention  to  points  of  excellence  which  must  oth- 
erwise have  escaped  us  altogether. 

The  man  who  is  to  profit  by  whatever  prestige  may 

legitimately  attach  to  his  achievements  needs  some 

The       one  to  tell  his  story  for  him.     Unless  in- 

building     deed  he  chance  to  be  one  of  those  few  for- 

R^'^'T  n^^    tunate  men  who  are  able  both  to  do  and  to 

the  lelLing  , 

oj  It  get  the  rest  of  us  to  appreciate  what 
they   do.     It  might  be  remarked  in  passing  that 


PRESTIGE-BUILDING  ADVERTISING      261 

the  man  or  woman  who  knows  how  to  teach  the  many 
to  value  his  or  her  talent  often  gets  a  larger  share  of 
honor  and  glory  than  the  public  thinks  is  due.  It  is 
just  at  this  point  that  most  of  us  fail  to  reason  ac- 
curately. 

Doctor  Cook  had  ample  publicity,  but  it  won  no 

prestige  for  him,  because  he  gave  us  something  which 

P  bl'citv    ^^^  ^^^  short  of  what  his  publicity  had  led 

Without     us  to  expect  of  him.     Each  year  new  names 

resige  ^^^  faces  appear  above  the  horizon  which 
separates  the  "unheard  of*  from  those  who  have 
"arrived" — and  disappear;  because  they  could  not 
"make  good"  on  their  publicity,  or  sustain  the  pres- 
tige which  it  would  have  created  for  them.  There 
can  be  no  permanent  prestige  unless  the  story  fits  the 
facts. 

Many  will  contend  that  there  are  more  far-seeing 

statesmen  than  Theodore  Roosevelt,  that  there  are 

«r  ^       f  actresses  whose  work  is  truer  than  Sarah 

Masters  of 

Prestige-  Bemhardt's  has  been,  that  Mary  Garden 
*"^  cannot  sing;  but  the  fact  is  that  large 
groups  of  people  believe  in  each  of  them,  and  evidence 
that  belief  by  continuing  to  give  them  their  support. 
That  is  proof  absolute  that  they  "make  good"  on 
their  publicity. 

It  is  only  when  the  publicity  has  overstated  or  has 
been  more  liberally  interpreted  than  it  should  have 
been  that  a  sense  of  disappointment  has  resulted  in 
connection  with  any  one  of  those  geniuses  who 
possess  so  bountifully  the  knack  of  telling  the  story 


262  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

of  what  they  do  in  just  the  way  which  insures  them 
maximum  pubHc  appreciation. 

The  reflex  of  using  a  trademark  is  to  create  a  sense 

of  responsibility  which  forces  the  manufacturer  to 

maintain  a  high  quaHty  standard.     The 

Penalty—   Same  thing  is  true  of  pubhcity.     The  manu- 

"J^"f,f     facturer   who    advertises    that   his   goods 

i,  represent  a  certain  well-defined  standard 

has  practically  discounted  his  note  of  hand  with  the 

public.     He  has  to  make  good. 

Sometimes  a  manufacturer  takes  up  general  ad- 
vertising because  he  thinks  he  will  make  more  money 
''       .  .     that  way,  and  for  that  reason  only.     As 

Advertising  ,  ,.  ,  ,  ,  .  .        , 

Makes  the  soon  as  he  realizes  that  the  advertismg  has 
Uvto'the    committed  him  to  maintaining  a  certain 

Prestige  standard  with  the  public,  he  bestirs  himself 
to  improve  his  inside  organization.  Better 
merchandise  is  the  result.  The  consumer  gets  the 
benefit. 

Other  manufacturers  have  decided,  after  investi- 
gating the  power  of  general  publicity,  to  improve  the 
quality  of  their[merchandise  before  undertaking  a  gen- 
eral campaign. 

I  know  a  man  who  considered  the  pros  and  cons 
a  long  while  before  he  made  up  his  mind  to  advertise. 
He  knew  that  if  he  started  it  he  would  have  to  keep 
up  the  quality,  no  matter  what  the  raw  materials 
cost.  And  he  was  afraid  he  might  not  be  able  to 
increase  the  price  to  cover  such  a  rise.  That  man  is 
a  national  advertiser  now.     He  found  out  that  the 


PRESTIGE-BUILDING  ADVERTISING     263 

confidence  of  the  public  (which  advertising  gets  for 
him)  is  the  best  means  of  adjusting  prices  to  the 
market  conditions  of  raw  materials. 

Some  years  ago  another  manufacturer  had  to  face 

a  decided  rise  in  the  price  of  his  raw  material.     His 

salesmen   gave   him   to   understand   they 

Rise  in     could  uot  scU  goods  at  the  price  necessary  to 

PnceBuili  cover  this  advance  if  the  quality  was  not 

to  be  changed.     He  was  tempted  to  use  an 

inferior  raw  material,  or  to  cancel  his  advertising  for 

the  year. 

Instead,  he  went  to  the  consumer  and  the  dealer 
and  explained  that  in  order  to  keep  up  his  quality 
he  was  obliged  to  increase  the  price.     By  inference  he 
created  the  impression  that  competitors  who  did  not 
do  likewise  must  be  using  a  poorer  quality  of  raw 
material.     This  publicity  strengthened  the  bonds  of 
confidence  between  his  brand  and  dealers  and  con- 
sumers; he  increased  his  advertising  appropriation, 
and  the  net  result  was  the  best  year  he  ever  had. 
In  planning  a  campaign  the  advertiser  should  re- 
member that  it  can  build  for  him,  if  he  co- 
BHngsthe   operates  with  it,  a  prestige  which  will  give 
Depding    \^j^  ^q  balance  of  power  when  buyers 

hesitate. 
Certainly  an  advertiser  who  shows  by  his  man- 
ner of  conducting  his  business  that  he  values  the 
quality  of  its  prestige  more  readily  gets  the  co- 
operation of  publishers  who  believe  that  admis- 
sion to  their  columns  bestows  upon  the  advertiser 


264  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

the  prestige  which  the  publication  has  with  its 
readers. 

An  advertiser  who  wins  first  the  confidence  and 
support  of  the  leaders  of  the  group  to  which  he  wishes 
to  sell  is  wise.  He  is  realizing  on  their  prestige,  which, 
it  will  readily  be  admitted,  is  a  force  quite  separate 

„  ., ,.       from  the  inherent  value  of  the  merchandise 

Building     ,         „  ,  ,  i  •     i 

Prestige  on  he  offcrs  or  the  salesmanship  he  uses  m  pre- 
^'''''^'     sentingit. 

Advertising  mediums  confer  prestige  upon  the  ad- 
vertiser who  uses  them  in  exact  proportion  to  the 
reader's  confidence  in  its  advertising  pages. 

The  advertising  of  one  firm  has  more  prestige  than 
that  of  another  for  exactly  the  same  reason. 

Prestige  rests  upon  confidence,  and  confidence  is 
won  by  plausible  publicity,  the  foundation  of  which 
is  the  sincere  desire  to  always  give  satisfaction. 
The  creation  of  prestige  should  be  the  aim  of  every 
advertiser.  It  means  conservation  of  power  and 
elimination  of  waste. 

There  is  a  certain  kind  of  salesmanship  which  finds 
a  market  among  those  who  positively  enjoy  possess- 
ing things  which  their  less  fortunate  neigh- 
Prestige  la  hoTS  havc  uot  the  mcaus  to  buy.     Dealers 

Substantial   .  ,.  n  i.  ■•  .1. 

—Not  Built  111  antiques,  small  exclusive  shops  that  are 
_  "??^i     supposed  to  be  patronized  only  by  the 
ne»8       socially  elect,  freak  restaurants  and  sum- 
mer and  winter  resorts  often  get  business 
by  an  appeal  to  snobbishness. 
This  might  be  mistaken  for  prestige-building.    It 


PRESTIGE-BUILDING  ADVERTISING      265 

is  not.  Fashions,  fads,  and  fancies  come  and  go  con- 
stantly. The  man  who  elects  to  make  a  living  by 
catering  to  them  leads  a  precarious  existence. 

Of  course  there  are  many  people  who  need  not  con- 
sider the  cost  of  gratifying  a  desire.     They  are  willing 
_,,         to  pay  for  the  pleasure  of  dealing  with  per- 
Price  of    SOUS  of  refinement  and  culture.     They  are 
onfidence  ^jjjjjg  ^q  pg^y  f^j.  Jcnowifig  they  are  not 

going  to  be  thrown  in  contact  with  objectionable 
persons.  They  are  willing  to  pay  for  their  confidence 
in  the  merchandise  they  buy,  although  they  may  not 
be  conscious  that  they  are  paying  so  much  for  mer- 
chandise and  so  much  for  confidence. 

The  practice  of  institutions  which  have  been  es- 
tablished by  the  use  of  prestige-building  salesman- 
ship and  advertising  is  to  reduce  their  prices  to  a 
point  where  no  customer  need  pay  more  than  he 
would  elsewhere  for  the  same  service.  Then  the 
prestige  of  the  business,  which  undoubtedly  is  an 
element  of  the  purchaser's  satisfaction,  is  service 
plus. 

No  business  is  safe  which  charges  more,  simply  be- 
cause its  customers  will  pay  more.     Prestige  is  busi- 
ness life  insurance. 
of^ards        '^^^  patrons  of  certain  dealers  in  musical 
instruments,  jewelry,  and  art  objects,  and 
of  certain  tailoring  and  dressmaking  establishments, 
insist  they  get  full  value  for  every  dollar  they  spend, 
quite  apart  from  the  question  of  the  prestige  of  the 
house  from  which  they  are  buying.     Competitors 


266  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

have  their  groups  of  customers  who  are  equally  sure 
that  they  get  full  value  in  the  merchandise  of  stores 
which  sell  lower-priced  lines. 

When  does  a  customer  pay  for  prestige  and  when 
does  he  get  it  as  an  additional  satisfaction?  It  is  the 
old  story,  "How  can  you  tell  the  difference  between 
a  mushroom  and  a  toadstool?  '* 

When  the  consumer  believes  a  lower  price  com- 
mands equal  quality  and  satisfaction,  prestige  no 
longer  exists  and  the  manufacturer  or  retailer  who 
counts  on  it  is  in  a  dangerous  position. 

A  waiting-list  would  seem  to  be  the  only  positive 
insurance  which  a  business  that  depends  altogether 
upon  prestige  alone  may  have. 

Says^^  The  dividing  line  between  the  house 
*' ^  ^«*'"    which  charges  for  prestige  and  the  house 

Divides  which  givcs  full  value  in  service  cannot  be 
a^  Tme"  determined  by  consulting  the  customers  of 
either  or  both  houses,  for  there  will  be 
radical  differences  of  opinion. 

When  a  lawyer  has  more  possible  clients  than  he 
can  take  care  of,  when  a  physician's  reception-room  is 
crowded  with  people  waiting  their  turn,  when  motor 
cars  have  to  be  ordered  several  months  in  advance, 
it  may  be  assumed  that  the  high  price  is  justified  by 
the  service. 

But  that  business  is  doomed  whose  customers, 
having  ample  means  to  pay  the  highest  prices,  go  else- 
where believing  they  are  getting  the  same  value  for 
less  money.     And  the  management  usually  wakes  up 


PRESTIGE-BUILDING  ADVERTISING      267 

too  late  to  reestablish  the  business  on  a  sound  service 
basis. 

REFERENCES  ON  CHAPTER  XXVI 

Lord  Rosebery's  "Napoleon,  the  Last  Phase," 
1900  (Harper  &  Brothers,  New  York),  detailing 
Napoleon's  life  after  he  reached  St.  Helena. 

"The  Greatness  and  Decline  of  Rome,"  1907-1909 
(W.  Heinemann,  London),  by  Guglielmo  Ferrero. 

William  Hickling  Prescott's  "The  Conquest  of 
Mexico,"  1909  (E.  P.  Dutton  &  Company,  New 
York). 

These  books  are  as  fascinating  as  modern  fiction: 
they  tell  of  men  who  believed  in  and  attempted  to 
create  prestige  for  themselves. 

They  trace  clearly  the  effect  of  ideas  dominating 
the  group  consciousness  in  the  history  of  nations. 

They  show  how  real  leaders  of  men  have  always 
striven  to  sway  the  minds  and  especially  the  emotions 
of  the  people  whose  confidence  gave  them  their 
power. 

They  show  how  prestige  passes  and  with  it  the 
power  of  leadership  though  all  its  inherent  qualities 
may  remain  in  the  man  who  formerly  was  a  popular 
idol. 

They  show  clearly  the  difficulty  of  the  historian  in 
separating  fiction  and  fact,  because  leaders  of  people 
have  always  been  more  concerned  as  to  how  the  story 
of  what  they  were  doing  was  told  the  people  than 
in  the  story  itself. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

CAN  THE   COMMERCIAL  VALUE  OF  GOOD- WILL  BE  AC- 
CURATELY APPRAISED? 

WALTER  M.  ANTHONY,  Comptroller  of 
the  Maxwell  Company,  once  remarked  to 
me,  "Anything  for  which  cash  has  been 
should  be  immediately  converted  into  cash  or  given 
at  least  the  same  care  and  attention  as  cash. 

This  thought  will  yield  wonderfully  profitable 
results  if  appUed  to  printed  matter,  oflBce  and  manu- 
facturing equipment,  or  anything  else  which  appears 
on  an  inventory. 

Whether  printed  matter  should  be  sold  as  waste 

paper  or  whether  the  second-hand  man  should  have 

antiquated  pieces  of  office  furniture  or  the 

Appraisal  junk  dealer  should  own  obsolete  machinery 

^Vdue    requires  constant  appraisal.     Money  in  the 

Good-mU    bank  and  cash  in  the  drawer  receive  such 

Properly  . 

attention. 

Manufacturers  and  retailers  rightfully  class  "good- 
will" as  an  asset.  My  readers  will  agree  with  me 
that  unless  "good- will"  is  conserved  it  will  dis- 
appear. 

There  are  forces  in  every  business  which  build 

268 


VALUE  OF  GOOD-WILL  BE  APPRAISED?  269 

"good-will."  Dependable  methods  of  appraising  it 
should  be  devised. 

There  should  be  frequent  inventories  to  determine 
the  enhancement  or  the  depreciation  of  "good- 
will." 

My  first  conception  of  what  is  termed  "good- will," 
as  attached  to  a  business,  came  to  me  in  considering 
the  story  of  two  young  men  who  were  partners  in  a 
lumber  yard  in  a  Western  city. 

They  were  successful.     In  the  course  of  a  few 

years  they  made  enough  money  to  build  and  pay 

for  a  modern,   completely  equipped   fac- 

The  New  tory  where  they  made  sash,  doors,  and  other 
DU^ot    niill  work. 

Possess        j»Jot   long   after   the   new   factory   was 

the  Good-    _    .  .      ,    ..  °  .     .  "^ 

will  of    nmshed  dinerences  arose  and  the  partner- 
Uimher    ^^P  ^^^  dissolved .    In  dividing  the  property 
Yard      one  took  as  his  share  the  up-to-date  fac- 
tory— and  thought  that  he  had  outwitted 
his  former  partner,  who  was  content  to  take  as  his 
portion  the  old  lumber  yard,  which  was  equipped  with 
only  a  few  old  sheds  and  a  little  frame  office.     A  few 
dollars  would  replace  them. 

Time  proved  that  the  man  who  kept  the  lumber 

yard  was  also  in  possession  of  their  market.     Farmers 

CustoTners    ^^^  ^^^  been  buying  lumber  there,  now 

Do  Not     and  then,  kept  coming  back  occasionally 

Care  Where         .  ,        ,     .  ,  -,  ■, 

Things  Are  With  their  wagous,  made  purchases,  and 
^'^       took  them  away.     Intervals  of  seven  years 
elapsed  between  purchases. 


270  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

These  customers  knew  nothing  about  the  new 
factory — they  really  did  not  know  nor  care  where  the 
doors,  window  sash,  porch  columns,  fencing,  and 
railings  were  made. 

The  man  who  kept  the  factory  had  to  find  a 
new  market.  Even  his  former  partner  found  it 
did  not  pay  to  look  to  him  for  a  supply  of  mill 
work,  as  the  very  same  things  could  often  be  bought 
in  Oshkosh  and  delivered  in  Kansas  City  for  less 
money. 

By  this  story  I  wish  to  make  it  plain  that  good-will 
is  primarily  the  result  of  giving  customers  satisfac- 
tory service,  and  that  advertising  cannot  be  a  factor 
in  creating  good-will  unless  the  service  given  cus- 
tomers measures  up  to  the  expectation  which  the 
advertising  has  created. 

So  far  as  I  know  these  two  young  men  had  done  no 

advertising  worthy  of  the  name,  but  they  had  given 

^    ,    .„    their  customers  real  service,  and  as  a  tang- 

Good-mll  1        »    1    •  1  1  1 

Is  Attached  ible  Tcsult  of  doiug  that,  the  market  was 
%^hich  attached  to  the  place  where  the  service 
Identifies    bad  bccu  rendered. 

Had  they  advertised  they  would  have 
developed  a  larger  good- will  value.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  long  before  the  first  sale  is  consummated, 
advertising  develops  in  the  mind  of  the  prospective 
purchaser  a  preference  which  is  in  every  respect 
equivalent  to  the  good-will  which  is  the  result  of 
satisfaction  in  a  purchase. 

The    advertising    of    automobiles    makes    people 


VALUE  OF  GOOD-WILL  BE  APPRAISED?  271 

want  to  own  one.  It  is  astonishing  how  often  a 
definite  preference  for  a  particular  automobile  exists 
in  the  mind  of  a  man  who  has  never  owned  any  kind 
of  a  car. 

Conceding  this  you  will  agree  with  me  I  am  sure 
that  all  advertising  should  be  planned  with  two 
clearly  defined  purposes  in  mind: 

1.  To  influence  the  largest  possible  num- 

Clearly     bcr  of  immediate  sales,  always  remember- 

O^ects     ^^S  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^®  takes  place  in  the  buyer's 

for  All     mind,  and  that  very  often  merchandise  is 
practically  sold  many  months  before  the 
buyer  comes  to  the  dealer,  ready  to  pay  for  and  take 
away  the  merchandise. 

2.  To  create  in  possible  purchasers'  minds  and  in 
the  minds  of  those  whose  opinion  might  affect  the 
mental  attitude  of  a  possible  purchaser  the  most 
favorable  impression  of  the  intrinsic  merit  of  the 
article  being  advertised.  Many  rich  people  buy 
things  which  they  believe  people  of  culture  and  re- 
finement would  buy  if  they  had  the  means  to  gratify 
all  their  wishes. 

Therefore  it  is  often  advisable,  in  advertising 
luxuries  which  can  be  afforded  only  by  the  few,  also 
to  impress  favorably  those  who  would  buy  them  if 
they  could,  because  their  esteem  of  the  merchandise 
is  an  important  factor  in  the  satisfaction  which  the 
possessor  of  the  luxury  takes  in  it. 

In  Chapter  VI,  I  said  that  by  having  a  merchan- 
<iising  audit  made  of  the  state  of  mind  of  possible 


272  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

consumers    and    those    distributors    who    influence 

the  consumers'  opinions,   a   manufacturer    can    de- 

AMer-     termine  in  advance  his  marketing  possi- 

Reveal         In  exactly  the  same  way  the  manufac- 
PossiMU-    turer   can  from  time  to  time   accurately 
'*'^«        appraise  the  value  of  the  good-will  which 
attaches  to  his   merchandise. 

Neither  the  salesman  nor  the  writer  and  illustrator 
is  the  best  type  of  mind  to  undertake  the  task  of  ap- 
praisal.    The  salesman  is  too  apt  to  look 
y,,         for  facts  which  will  fit  in  with  his  own  pre- 
Engineer    conceivcd  notion  of  what  the  facts  are;  the 
ant    'prefer-  Writer  and  the  artist  are  too  prone  to  give 
able  to      to  the  facts  a  new  turn  which  alters  their 

Salesman  .   ,     .       ._ 

or  Copy     commercial  sigmncance. 

^Makirw        ^^  ^^  ^^  Td^ji.  who  has  bccu  trained  as  an 

Merchandis-  accouutaut  or  as  an  engineer  who  can  most 

mg   u  IS  g^(,(>^p^tgiy  determine  the  present  value  of 

good-will. 

Granting  that  good- will  is  the  result  of  advertising, 

there  must  be  a  method  of  determining  just  what 

How  a     portion  of  the  good- will  which  attaches  to 

Merchan-    evcry   succcssful   busiucss   has   been   pro- 

dising  Audit    ■.■,■%•■,'•  t  ^ 

Should  Be  duccd  by  its  advertismg.     1  recommend 
^"•^^      the  following  procedure: 

1.  Base  your  calculations  upon  the  amount  spent 
for  advertising  within  the  last  three  years. 

2.  Measure  the  space  which  has  been  given  to  the 
promotion  of  each  selling  point  or  service  idea. 


VALUE  OF  GOOD-WILL  BE  APPRAISED?  273 

3.  If  5  per  cent,  of  the  total  amount  of  space 
bought  has  been  devoted  to  one  point,  and  one-tenth 
of  one  per  cent,  to  another,  the  first  point  should  be 
fifty  times  as  well  grounded  in  the  minds  of  consumers 
and  those  who  influence  them,  if  the  advertising  has 
been  as  effective  as  it  must  be  before  it  can  create 
the  maximum  good-will. 

We  often  find,  in  canvassing  groups  of  consumers 
and  distributors,  that  the  point  on  which  only  one- 
tenth  of  one  per.  cent  of  an  advertising  appropriation 
has  been  spent  has  been  the  determining  factor  in  a 
large  percentage  of  the  sales. 

Sometimes,  too,  we  find  that  neither  the  consumer 
nor  the  distributor  ever  mentions  a  point  on  which  as 
much  as  5  per  cent,  of  the  appropriation  has  been  spent. 

In  the  first  case,  our  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent,  is 
still  a  tangible  asset,  an  investment  in  every  sense 
of  the  word,  because  of  its  good- will  value;  in  the 
second  case  we  are  safe  in  assuming  that  this  money 
has  produced  no  sales  and  created  no  good-will. 

The  groups  of  distributors  and  consumers  which 
are  canvassed  must  be  large  enough  to  be  representa- 
P  tive  of  the  entire  group  but  small  enough 

tive       to  permit  of  most  thorough  appraisal. 
of  '^People       Insurance    actuaries    constantly    prove 
Must  Be    tliat  what  will  happen  to  a  thousand  men 

Canvassed       .      ,  ,    .  i       i        •      i 

of  the  same  age  and  m  normal  physical 
condition  will  happen  to  the  entire  group  of  all  such 
men,  and  in  the  same  degree. 

An  appraisal  of  good-will  can  be  made  safely  on  the 


274  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

same  basis.  When  the  effects  of  magazine  advertis- 
ing are  studied,  it  is  astonishing  how  similar  are  the 
results  in  the  minds  of  consumers  and  dealers  in 
California,  Texas,  and  New  England. 

There  are  other  factors  which  must  be  considered  in 
appraising  the  results  of  advertising.     It  is  very  good 
Chart      business  to  ignore  your  competitor  in  your 
Your      own  advertising,  but  it  is  very  unwise  to 
tors'       fail  to  take  into  account  the  effect  of  his 
MverhsiTig  advertising  in  making  your  own  plans. 
Advertise        When  you  are  auditing  your  own  adver- 
™      tising,  that  of  your  competitors  should  also 
be  charted,  as  well  as  its  effect  on  the  minds  of  con- 
sumers and  distributors. 

In  making  an  appraisal  we  are  often  very  greatly 
surprised  to  find  that  what  had  seemed  only  a  minor 
point  has  had  a  far-reaching  influence. 

The  average  human  mind  seems  distinctly  averse 

to   making  its   own   decisions.     When  competitive 

The       advertisers    all    make    the    same    claims, 

^ffecTof^  thereby  convincing  the  consumer  of  the 

Minor^     equality  of  the  value  of  the   competing 

Points  in  it  .  •      i  •  •    . 

Advertis-    merchandise,  a  comparatively  minor  point 
*^s        often  swings  the  decision,  because  it  is  the 
only  apparent  difference  between  them. 

I  should  like  to  see  bankers,  comptrollers,  auditors, 
and,  in  general,  all  men  who  deal  constantly  with 
statistics  so  interested  in  advertising  that  they  would 
apply  to  the  furtherance  of  its  development  their 
experience  and  technical  skill. 


VALUE  OF  GOOD-WILL  BE  APPRAISED?  275 

Several  organizations  could  specialize,  profitably, 
in  the  preparation  of  merchandise  audits.  I  am  sure 
that  bankers,  who  are  frequently  asked  to  loan 
money  on  good-will,  would  welcome  an  opportunity 
to  review  an  appraisal  which  had  been  made  in  the 
manner  suggested  here. 

It  may  be  objected  that  in  the  foregoing  I  am 
only  emphasizing  the  value  of  accurate  accounting 
methods  in  everyday  business.  That  is  precisely 
what  I  wish  to  do. 

No  element  of  successful  advertising  is  more  im- 
portant than  a  system  of  accounting  which  records 
all  transactions  accurately,  so  that  the  totals  show 
unmistakably  the  trend  of  the  business. 

Advertising  is  creative  and  constructive,  and 
largely  a  matter  of  spontaneous  expression — the  best 
reason  in  the  world  for  determining  exactly  the 
strength  and  competency  of  it  as  a  productive  force, 
and  the  positive  value  of  each  separate  factor  of  it. 

Accounting  is  not  a  matter  of  books,  cards,  blanks, 

and  specific  forms.     It  is  keeping  track  of  the  details 

of  advertising  all  the  time,  so  that  they 

ccm^tng  ^^^  ^^^  considered  in  the  aggregate  fre- 

^^p^'  quently  and  intelligent  deduction  made. 
Basis  Sor  There  is  a  good  deal  of  red  tape  about 
PeducS^  modern  accounting.  Some  of  it  is  value- 
less, bitt  much  can  be  accomplished  if  a 
proper  system  is  used.  The  cumulative  figures  will 
be  full  of  meaning. 

I  have  often  said  that  my  most  valuable  business 


276  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

experience  was  that  gained  by  the  installation  of  an 
accounting  system  in  our  business  some  years  ago, 
coupled  with  the  process  of  emancipating  ourselves 
from  the  system  by  putting  into  practice  the  prin- 
ciples which  supported  it.  We  all  got  a  thorough 
grounding  in  the  essentials  of  accounting. 

Frequently  I  have  been  appalled  at  the  inadequate 
knowledge  upon  which  a  prospective  advertiser  was 

Proper  basing  his  conclusions.  So  often  overhead 
Distribu-  expeusc  is  not  properly  distributed  in  figur- 
Overhead  ing  costs.  In  the  one  case  a  particularly 
Expense  profitable  transaction  may  be  made  to  bear 
far  more  than  its  share  of  general  expense;  in  another 
case  a  positively  unprofitable  item,  which  appears 
to  be  making  money,  is  continued — because  it 
has  been  charged  with  its  rightful  portion  of  over- 
head. 

It  is  my  conviction  that  each  department  of  a  re- 
tail establishment  should  be  charged  directly  with 
every  line  of  publicity  for  which  it  has  been  respon- 
sible and  from  which  it  is  to  profit,  and  that  "general 
publicity"  or  "cumulative  results"  should  be  "vel- 
vet" or  a  plus  commodity. 

Advertising  that  has  for  its  purpose  general  public- 
ity is  usually  purposeless  publicity.  Even  if  it  does 
accomplish  what  it  is  expected  to  do,  it  is  only  half 
as  valuable  as  it  should  be;  for  the  same  results 
would  have  been  had,  at  no  cost  whatever,  had  this 
publicity  been  charged  to  and  paid  for  by  the  proper 
department. 


VALUE  OF  GOOD-WILL  BE  APPRAISED?  277 

A  simple,  accurate  system  of  accounting,  to  check 
up  results,  is  necessary  to  "make  advertising  pay." 
If  a  salesman  is  able  to  reduce  his  per- 
Uv^Results  centage  of  unproductive  calls  by  talking 
M^A^F^^  the  advertising  of  his  house  in  addition 
to  the  worth  of  the  goods,  or  if  he  is  able  to 
increase  the  amount  of  his  average  sale,  his  reports 
should  show  it.     All  salesmen's  reports  should  be 
tabulated,  so  that  the  sales  manager  can  plan  intel- 
ligently for  the  future.     Such  a  method  does  not 
mean  harder  work  for  the  salesman,  mentally  or 
physically;  but  he  accomphshes  more,  is  worth  more. 
He  is  entitled  to  know  of  his  increased  value  and  to 
receive  a  fair  share  of  the  profits  of  his  cooperative 
work. 

Every  accounting  system  should  be  able  to  give 

the  executive  head  of  the  business  all  he  wants  to 

know,  whenever  he  wants  to  know  it,  and 

Ex^tive    ^^  such  condensed  form  that  a  comparison 

Should  Be  or  an  analysis  will  be  simple. 

Know  Nothing  impresses  a  banker  more  than 

Anything  qj^  exact  systcm  of  accounting.  To  most 
to  Know  at  bankers  advertising  is  more  or  less  of  a 
°  NoHce  *  mystery.  The  manufacturer  must  estab- 
Hsh  in  his  banker's  mind  something  be- 
sides the  fact  that  he  is  advertising;  he  must  convince 
him  that  he  knows  how  to  use  advertising  so  that  it 
will  get  results. 

When  you  call  on  your  banker  for  a  loan,  there  is 
just  one  kind  of  advertising  that  he  will  look  favor- 


278  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

ably  upon — the  kind  that  has  been  so  accurately 
recorded  by  a  comprehensive  accounting  system  that 
you  can  prove  to  him  that  it  has  accomphshed  what 
it  set  out  to  do. 

Successful  advertising  is  the  active  employment  of 
many  factors  properly  balanced  with  relation  to  each 
„  ,  ,  other,  inter-related,  one  to  another,  so  that 
Advertising  their  movcmcuts  coordinate  without  waste 
«M^  or  friction  in  carrying  out  plans  capable 
of  varying  to  meet  an  emergency  situation  but  bear- 
ing directly  toward  a  fixed  goal.  If  I  have  made  this 
point  clear,  the  importance  of  careful,  comprehensive 
accounting,  up  to  the  minute  at  all  times,  is  obvious. 

Advertising  is  many  sided — it  builds  and  conserves 
business,  it  reduces  expense,  it  strengthens  credit, 
it  eliminates  waste,  it  puts  a  business  on  a  rock 
foundation  as  immune  as  is  possible  from  competi- 
tion. Facts  and  figures  with  reference  to  it  cannot 
be  too  carefully  gathered  and  recorded. 

There  are  no  hard  and  fast  rules  for  determining 
how  much  should  be  spent  for  advertising,  or  how 
much  for  salesmanship. 

I  can  only  repeat  that  price  is  never  a  measure  of 
value.  It  only  measures  the  pocketbook's  relation 
to  the  intensity  of  desires  which  have  been  created 
by  personal  salesmanship  and  advertising.  Practi- 
cally every  one  has  more  wants  than  he  can  supply 
with  his  "free  dollars."  Lowering  the  price  broadens 
the  market;  raising  it,  contracts  the  market.  Many 
people  who  have  unlimited  means  gladly  pay  for 


VALUE  OF  GOOD-WILL  BE  APPRAISED?  279 

exclusiveness  and  distinction.  Price  never  can  deter- 
mine or  measure  intrinsic  value. 

A  five-dollar  safety  razor  leads  the  market  against 
a  competitor  which  sells  as  low  as  twenty-five  cents. 
How  is  it  done.f* 

The  manufacturer  put  his  price  high  enough,  at 
the  start,  to  provide  him  with  a  margin  of  safety. 
Then  he  has  had  to  determine,  by  accounting  such  as 
I  have  outlined  in  this  chapter,  whether  the  market 
shall  be  widened  and  competition  discouraged  by 
reducing  the  price  and  making  on  volume,  or  if  he 
shall  keep  up  the  price  and  give  his  goods  the  added 
value  of  exclusiveness. 

REFERENCES  ON  CHAPTER  XXVH 

There  is  a  lack  of  good  elementary  works  on  the 
subject  of  accounting.  There  are  plenty  of  texts 
used  in  the  high  schools  and  in  the  business  colleges. 
"Modern  Illustrative  Bookkeeping,"  published  by  the 
American  Book  Co.,  is  among  the  best  of  these. 

Twenty -five  years  ago  I  read  "Goodwin's  Im- 
proved Bookkeeping  and  Business  Manual,"  pub- 
lished by  J.  H.  Goodwin,  1215  Broadway,  New  York 
City.  It  seemed  to  me  then  to  expound  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  accounting  better  than  anything 
I  have  been  able  to  get  hold  of.  Recently  I  asked 
George  F.  Watt,  president  of  the  Elliot-Fisher  Com- 
pany, Harrisburg,  Pa.,  maker  of  the  Bookkeeping 
Machine,  about  this  book,  which  has  been  rewritten 
and  brought  up  to  date.    Mr.  Watt  told  me  that 


280  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

when  he  was  vice-president  of  the  Baker- Vawter 
Company  he  inaugurated  the  policy  of  giving  a  copy 
of  this  book  to  each  new  salesman,  to  make  sure  that 
he  thoroughly  comprehended  the  basic  principles  of 
accounting. 

The  Baker- Vawter  Company,  Benton  Harbor» 
Mich.,  and  the  Burroughs  Adding  Machine  Co.,  of 
Detroit,  Mich.,  issue  booklets  emphasizing  the  broad 
scope  and  value  in  creative  work  of  modern  account^ 
ing  methods.  Successful  Ban  Icing — one  of  the  Baker- 
Vawter  house  organs — will  enable  the  thinking,  pro- 
gressive accountant  to  keep  strictly  up  to  date. 

"Works  Administration,"  a  twenty-eight  page 
booklet  of  Gunn,  Richards  &  Company,  New  York 
City,  is  a  model  piece  of  advertising  matter  for  a 
professional  house,  as  well  as  an  exposition  of  ac- 
counting principles. 

"Accounts — Their  Construction  and  Interpreta- 
tion— for  Business  Men  and  Students  of  AflFairs,"  by 
William  Morse  Cole,  A.M.,  Assistant  Professor  of 
Accounting  in  Harvard  University  (Houghton  Mif- 
flin Company,  Boston),  is  an  authoritative  presenta- 
tion of  modern  accounting  in  its  scientific  aspects. 

The  Ronald  Press,  New  York,  publishes  "AppHed 
Theory  of  Accounts,'*  by  P.  J.  Esquerre,  C.  P.  A., 
which  connects  theory  and  practice  for  the  man  who 
wants  to  understand  thoroughly  the  principles  of 
accounting  and  how  to  apply  them  to  practical 
problems.  It  first  explains  the  features  of  partner- 
ship   and   corporate    organization    the    accountant 


VALUE  OF  GOOD-WILL  BE  APPRAISED?  281 

should  understand;  the  general  theory  of  accounting; 
the  single,  double,  triple,  and  quadruple  entry  sys- 
tems; the  form  and  anatomy  of  each  of  the  financial 
books;  the  theory  of  controlling  accounts,  and  the 
classification  of  accounts.  The  handling  of  each 
individual  asset  account  and  liability  account  is  then 
taken  up  in  detail,  giving  the  "why"  of  each  step, 
and  finally  the  preparation  of  the  different  forms  of 
balance  sheets,  the  profit  and  loss  account,  statement 
of  affairs,  statement  of  realization  and  liquidation, 
etc.,  are  explained  in  full. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  ADVERTISING  AGENCY 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN'S  mother-in-law 
objected  to  him  before  he  married  her 
daughter  because  the  business  in  which  he 
was  engaged  was  overdone — he  was  pubhshing  a 
newspaper,  and  there  were  already  six  in  America! 
Now  there  are  2,600  dailies,  15,097  weeklies, 
2,491  monthlies,  and  1,953  publications  of  various 
other  kinds.  Practically  all  of  them  sell  advertising 
space. 

The  business  of  planning,  preparing,  placing,  and 
checking  copy,  and  buying  and  paying  for  adver- 
tising space  involves  an  infinite  amount  of  detail  and 
a  wide  range  of  talent. 

Nearly  all  retail  stores  buy  space  direct  from  the 
publisher,  who  may  be  represented  by  one  or  more 
advertising  solicitors.  It  all  depends  upon  the  size 
of  the  field.  In  large  establishments  the  advertising 
manager  may  write  the  copy.  The  owner  of  the 
store  may  attempt  it.  He  may  use  copy  writers 
proffered  him  by  the  publisher,  or  he  may  employ 
a  "free  lance"  copy  writer,  who  will,  of  course,  have 
a  number  of  other  customers, 

282 


THE  ADVERTISING  AGENCY  283 

A  mail-order  house  generally  buys  space  through  an 
agency.  It  either  has  its  own  copy  men,  or  uses 
those  assigned  to  it  by  the  agency. 

Foreign  advertising  is  the  local  pubKsher's  term 
for  out-of-the-city  advertising.  The  national  or 
"foreign"  advertiser  usually  places  his  business 
through  an  agency.  These  agencies  furnish  a  service 
which  varies  greatly  in  scope  and  character.  The 
successful  advertiser  must  supplement  in  his  own 
organization  the  service  he  needs  but  does  not  get 
from  the  agency. 

To  fully  appreciate  the  progress  the  advertising 
agency  has  made  read  George  P.  Rowell's  "Forty 
Th  E  rl  Y®^^^  ^^  Advertising  Agent,"  which  tells 
Days  of  the  of  the  early  days  when  an  agency  was 
gency  jngj-gjy  ^n  office  having  a  file  of  publishers* 
rate  cards,  files  for  papers,  and  a  shipping  depart- 
ment. The  agent  sold  space  at  publishers'  rates, 
forwarded  the  copy  to  the  publisher,  collected  from 
the  advertiser,  and  remitted  to  the  publisher  the 
proceeds  less  his  commission.  It  was  a  valuable 
service  then.  Newspaper  circulation  and  values 
were  hard  to  get  at.  It  was  a  service  for  publisher 
and  advertiser. 

In  time,  however,  competition  arrived.  Publishers 
increased  their  commissions,  and  their  rates  had  to 
go  up  accordingly.  As  publishers  did  not  limit  the 
number  of  representatives  they  might  have,  the  num- 
ber of  agents  increased  rapidly,  and  their  competition 
gave  rise  to  many  bad  practices. 


284  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

Commissions  were  split.     The  agent,  sometimes 

honestly  and  sometimes  not,  adjusted  his  service  to 

the  compensation,  accepting  a  lump  sum 

of  Split     for  a  list  of  publications,  but  making  as 

dl'JTand    "^uch  as  possible  out  of  the  publisher  by 

"Agents'    short  payments,  refusing  to  allow  for  al- 

Net  Rates"   i  i    •  ,    .  , .  it. 

leged  incorrect  insertions  and  short  meas- 
urements, and  by  payment  in  type,  printers'  rollers, 
and  other  kinds  of  merchandise  instead  of  cash. 
This  was  "playing  the  game." 

Then  came  the  era  of  the  agent  who  took  business 
at  a  certain  percentage  over  net,  and  "agents'  net 
rates"  were  commonly  interpreted  as  the  pub- 
lisher's rate  card  less  his  regular  agent's  commission. 
The  customer  was  billed  at  this  rate  plus  10  to  15 
per  cent,  previously  agreed  upon.  And  the  agent 
felt  he  was  justified  in  keeping  anything  else  he  could 
get  from  the  publisher. 

This  system  irritated  the  publisher,  who  still  had 
his  troubles  with  short  measurements,  incorrect  in- 
sertions not  allowed  for,  and  various  other  expensive 
deductions  which  so  harassed  him  that  he  had  no 
time  to  consider  how  he  could  best  serve  the  adver- 
tiser. It  kept  him  quite  busy  making  sure  he  would 
get  the  money  his  orders  indicated  was  due  him. 

Then  came  the  epoch  of  agents  who,  realizing  the 
The  Lowest  value  of  the  publisher's  good-will  and 
S^wi^\he  cooperation,  specialized  on  some  certain 

Business  class  of  advertising,  and  got  inside  special 
Fates  from  the  publication  most  logically  suited  to  carry 


THE  ADVERTISmG  AGENCY  285 

it.  T  lis  made  it  possible  for  him  to  underbid 
competitors  when  they  were  called  in  against  him, 
and  to  make  a  very  long  profit  when  he  had  no  com- 
petitioi\  This  practice  further  demoralized  the  ad- 
vertising business.  There  was  so  much  juggling  of 
rates  that  strong  publications  employed  special  rep- 
resentatives, who  saw  to  it  that  advertisers  were 
informed  of  their  circulation,  prestige,  and  other 
good  points,  and  made  sure  that  their  papers  ap- 
peared on  competitive  lists. 

The  special  agency  idea  was  abused  by  a  number 
of  men  who  bought  outright  all  the  space  in  a  group 
of  papers,  and  then  increased  the  rates.  Or,  because 
they  had  a  few  strong  papers  on  their  list,  would  in- 
duce the  advertiser  or  his  agent  to  take  on  the  whole 
list  by  making  apparent  but  not  actual  price  con- 
cessions. 

The  fact  that  the  advertising  agency  has  survived 
all  these  schemes  and  questionable  practices  is  a  sin- 
cere tribute  to  the  inherent  power  of  advertising  to 
make  good,  even  when  the  odds  are  against  it.  It 
is  also  a  tribute  to  the  integrity  and  constructive 
ability  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  business  to-day. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  at  times  both  agent  and  pub- 
lisher have  been  doing  business  with  the  advertiser  on 
a  basis  which  almost  invited  an  unfair  deal,  they  have 
established  their  position — because  they  have  made 
good  with  their  customers. 

Much  might  be  said  about  the  history  and  de- 
velopment of  the  advertising  agency,  but  we  can 


286  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUIVCER 

take  time  only  to  consider  the  four  definite    types 

which  are   now  in  existence.     In  this  coun :  I  am 

not  including  a  variation  now  pra  :tically 

Of  Present-  extiuct — the  man  who  merely  cleans  busi- 

Agencies    ness  at  a  Small  advance  on  the  lict  cost. 

FourTypes  He  cannot  make  good  any  more,  for  most 

publishers  either  refuse  to  recognize  him, 

or  else  give  the  service  agent  a  so  much  lower  flat 

rate  that  the  "clearing  agent"  cannot  deliver. 

There  is  the  agency  which  sells  copy  service  but 
does  no  placing.     It  may  be  one  man,  or  a  group  of 
men.     The  charge  is  usually  a  fixed  amount 
That  ^Sells   Weekly  or  monthly.     They  handle  none  of 
Copy      |-]jg  details  of  buying  or  contracting  for 
space.     Their     methods     are     open     and 
straightforward,  and  the  copy  is  usually  satisfactory 
and   well   worth   what   it   costs.     Their   customers 
kno  iv  exactly  what  they  pay  for  and  what  they  get. 
Type  2  is  the  agency  which  solicits  and  places  busi- 
ness at  publishers*  rates,  writes  copy,  and  gives  a 
certain  amount  of  merchandising  counsel. 
Which'^  Most  of  the  men  who  are  doing  business  on 
Places      this  basis  are  honest,  capable,  and  success- 
at        ful.     But  I  think  this   system  does   not 
^"Sr^'  P^y  them,  neither  does  it  pay  the  pub- 
lishers nor  their  customers.     The  customer 
does  not  always  know  how  much  he  is  paying  for 
agency  service  and  how  much  for  space.     A  weak 
publisher  may  secretly  increase  his  commission  to  the 
agent,  and  the  advertiser,  because  he  is  doing  busi- 


THE  ADVERTISING  AGENCY  287 

ness  at  publishers'  rates,  would  not  be  informed  of  the 
change. 

The  agent  himself  often  has  a  wrong  conception 
of  his  proper  relation  to  the  customer  and  the  pub- 
lisher. He  is  apt  to  think  it  is  the  publisher's  com- 
mission that  gives  him  his  status.  He  should  know 
that  it  is  the  advertiser's  money  that  pays  for  both 
the  publisher's  space  and  service. 

Type  3  is  the  agency  which  sells  its  service  to  the 
customer  on  the  basis  of  a  charge  of  from  10  to  15 
per  cent,  above  net  and  then  asks  the  publisher /or  a 
commission  for  getting  business  for  him  and  for  pro- 
tection against  the  advertiser  securing  the  same  net 
price  if  he  places  his  business  direct. 

The  agent  who  charges  publisher's  rates  is  clearly 

and  admittedly  the  pubHsher's  representative,  and 

naturally  looks  to  him  for  protection.     Such  a  man 

Agents  of  ^"^t  cast  his   vote   with  the  publishers 

Types  2     in  case  of  conflict.     Most  publishers  recog- 

Cannot  iiizc  that  the  advertiser  is  entitled  to  a 
R^^^^^ent  s^^^^^  deal,  and  they  implant  this  thought 
the  in  the  minds  of  the  agents  who  do  business 
ve  tser  ^^  publishers'  rates.  This  is  the  only  as- 
surance the  advertiser  has  of  being  well  served  by 
such  an  agency. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  agent  who  offers  to  charge 
a  certain  percentage  above  net,  as  guarantee  that  he 
will  not  allow  himself  to  be  influenced  by  any  in- 
creased commissions  offered  him  by  the  pubUsher, 
and  then  asks  the  pubHsher  for  larger  commissions 


288  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

(not  lower  rates)  for  "protection"  against  his  own 
customer  is  carrying  water  ^  on  both  shoulders  and 
cannot  represent  anybody— not.  even  himself — ^for 
any  length  of  time.' 

This  type  of  agent  is  inhotlwater'^continually.^ 

If  an  agent  is  doing  business  at  publishers*  rates, 

he  is  clearly  entitled  to  keep  for  himself  any  rebates, 

discounts,  or  free  space  (publishers  do  not  generally 

offer  these;  things 'to;  advertisers,  direct).     If  he  is 

charging  10  to  15  per. cent:  above  net,  and  at  the 

same  time  asking  the  publisher  for  favors  for  himself. 

The  Evils    *^^  publisher  does  not  know  whether  the 

of  the      advertiser  or  the  agent  is  entitled  to  favors 

Sytt^     an  appreciative  publisher  can  consistently 

Wh'<'^^Does  grant.      Such    an    agent    cannot   have   a 

sent  the     sound   policy   in   relation   to   free   space. 

Advertiser  •   i    j'  j.  t,      j  i, 

special  discounts,  cash  advances,  bonuses 
on  volume  of  space  used  within  a  certain  time,  and 
short-time  rates  which  the  customer  may  have  paid 
to  the  agent  but  the  agent  has  not  paid  to  the  pub- 
lisher. 

The  type  3  agent  must  go  as  surely  as  the  "placer** 
has  gone.  I  believe  the  publishers'  rate  agent  is  to 
be  with  us  for  many  years,  perhaps  permanently, 
because  he  is  apt  to  specialize  on  a  certain  class 
of  mediums,  and  to  be  a  truly  important  business- 
getter  for  the  publisher.  If  he  is  an  honest  and  able 
man,  and  he  usually  is,  his  service  is  well  worth  what 
the  advertiser  pays  for  it. 

A  number  of  successful  organizations  have  realized^ 


THE  ADVERTISING  AGENCY  289 

the  main  features  of  type  4  in  everyday  practice  so 

that  I  can  safely  say  the  type  is  well  defined.     It 

,   „  ,      is  an  outgrowth  of  the  organization  idea. 

The  Highest  _  .1      .         ••  x-  1  •    r 

Type  of    It  proves  that  cooperation  and  specializa- 

SeuTs^T-    *^^°  develop  a  higher  standard  of  service 

vice  to  Its    than  can  be  attained  by  an  individual,  and 

that  the  advertiser  will  get  more  for  his 

money  if  he  takes  advantage  of  its  methods  and 

adjusts  his  own  organization  to  it. 

Such  an  agency  sells  service,  and  nothing  else. 
It  should  have  no  ownership  interest  in  space  or 
supplies  it  buys  for  its  customers. 

Its  compensation  should  be  a  retainer  fee,  for  ad- 
vice and  counsel  and  the  relinquishment  of  any  con- 
flicting interests,  plus  a  percentage  on  the 
System  of   amount  of  detail  work  handled  or  a  specified 
Compensa-  amount  per  day  for  the  actual  work  of  its 

turn  .  T  T»       •  1 

.  various  members.     By  far  the  most  satis- 
factory system  is  a  minimum  yearly  fee  which  is 
credited  against  a  minimum   15  per  cent,  service 
charge  to  be  added  to  the  net  amount  of  all  purchases. 
This  organization  has  four  definite  functions.     It 
can,  if  properly  equipped  and  intelligently  managed. 
The  Four    ^^^  ^^^^  ^^  each  of  these  better  and  more 
Definite     economically    than    the    advertiser    can. 

Functions  rrn 

of  the  1  hey  are: 

Advertising      (j)  Qounsel  conceming  mediums.    The 

Agency  ^    '  ,        .  ,  •'  , 

of  the      organization  which  undertakes  to  advise 

ype  £^^   ^^   against   any   advertising   medium 

should  have  had  constant  successful  experience  in  the 


290  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

use  of  all  kinds  of  mediums.  A  fully  equipped 
agency  organization  should  make  money  for  small 
advertisers  who  use  only  one  medium  as  well  as  for 
larger  businesses  which  use  several  in  combination. 
Its  experience  should  cover  newspapers,  magazines, 
trade  papers,  mail-order  papers,  all  class  publica- 
tions, street  cars,  electric  signs,  painted  bulletins  and 
walls,  and  all  kinds  of  printed  and  lithographed  mat- 
ter, follow-up  material,  and  novelties. 

(2)  The  buying  'power  of  the  type  4  agency  is  main- 
tained at  the  highest  point  by  refusing  to  accept  for  it- 
self anything  from  publishers  or  space  producers.  I 
believe  that  the  ideal  organization  must  refuse  to  sell 
its  service,  under  any  circumstances,  to  publishers  or 
space  producers,  or  to  any  one  else  from  whom  it  may 
buy  for  its  customers. 

The  number  of  advertising  mediums  which  have  a 
fixed  rate  is  small,  though  all  the  best  ones  do.  A 
complicated  rate  card  is  a  challenge  to  the  trained 
space-buyer.  Many  mediums  offer  a  net  flat  rate 
to  large  agency  organizations,  for  the  reason  that  they 
are  wholesalers.  Their  customers  are  rebated  the 
difference,  of  course.  Where  there  is  an  opportunity 
for  trading  or  dickering  it  is  certainly  advisable  to 
employ  a  man  who  knows  how  to  do  it.  It  is  quite 
generally  conceded  that  the  space-buyer  for  a  large 
agency  organization  holds  a  very  responsible  position. 

The  type  4  agency  buys  outright,  and  pays  for 
space  in  cash,  which  is  important  because  it  com- 
mands the  best  the  space-seller  has  to  give.     The  buy-; 


THE  ADVERTISING  AGENCY  291 

ing  department  of  such  an  organization  has  nothing  to 
consider  save  the  actual  value  of  the  service  available. 
It  is,  therefore,  more  apt  to  get  a  low  price  and  col- 
lateral cooperation  than  the  agency  which  asks  the 
publisher  for  a  commission  and  protection. 

(3)  Copy  service.  No  matter  how  carefully  mediums 
have  been  selected,  or  how  economically  space  has 
been  bought,  the  space  is  without  value  to  the  adver- 
tiser until  it  is  filled  with  copy  which  will  get  the 
desired  result.  The  copy  staff  of  a  successful  organi- 
zation must  represent  the  picked  men  of  a  nation, 
working  together  harmoniously  in  confident  coopera- 
tion with  the  advertiser's  organization. 

Sometimes,  after  the  analysis  has  been  finished 
and  the  selling  points  agreed  upon  in  conference 
with  the  advertiser,  one  man  writes  all  the  copy. 
Sometimes  several  men  work  on  a  national  campaign 
if  there  are  several  consumer  groups  as  well  as  trade 
literature  and  selling  helps  to  be  taken  care  of. 

(4)  Sales  cooperation^  the  most  recent  development 
of  agency  service,  has  been  misunderstood  in  many 
places.  It  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  mer- 
chandising  of  advertising  itself.  It  does  not  mean 
sales  direction,  nor  the  displacement  of  salesmen. 
Sales  cooperation  means  getting  more  service  from 
the  pubHsher  or  space-producer,  by  convincing  him 
that  he  can  best  entrench  his  own  business  by  giving 
the  advertiser  more  for  his  money.  It  makes  the 
advertiser's  salesman  (who  cooperates)  more  valuable 
to  himself  and  to  his  principal. 


292  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  very  best  salesmen  make  many  calls  which  are 
non-productive.  Anything  which  increases  their 
sales  as  compared  with  the  number  of  calls  made 
enhances  the  value  of  their  services  without  add- 
ing to  their  labor.  Sales  cooperation  is  the  result 
of  applying  to  selling  methods  the  principles  of 
scientific  management.  It  is  sharing  with  salesmen 
the  responsibility  of  planning  their  work.  Adver- 
tising does  the  missionary  work  and  the  salesman 
becomes  an  expert  "closer"  and  business-builder. 

Nowadays  a  banking  corporation  regards   itself 

as  the  trustee  of  its  depositors'  money,  and  does  not 

The       loan  money  to  any  business  in  which  its 

^Agmfr  officials  are  interested.     The  same  general 

Trustee  principles  should  govern  the  conduct  of  an 
Customers'  advertising  organization. 

Money         'pjjg  Jijghest  type  of  advertising  service  is 

offered  by  the  organization  which  attracts  as  customers 

only  those  businesses  which  are  acknowledged  leaders 

in  their  respective  lines,  and  then  at  all  times  regards 

_,,    .  them  as  a  group  of  non-conflicting  interests 

of  the      cooperating  for  their  common  good. 
Tyve  Will       Such  an  organization  will  advise  against 

Advise  advertising  if  conditions  are  unfavorable. 
Advertising  It  knows,  how,  whcu,  and  where,  advertis- 
tiier'^hN'ot  ^°S  should  be  done.    It  should  be  consulted 

Ready      long  before  the  advertiser  starts  to  plan 
about  prices,  distribution,  the  package,  sell- 
ing methods,  and  the  instruction  of  salesmen  about 
ways  and  means  for  cashing  in  on  the  advertising. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

now  MUCH   MORE   CAN   BE   GIVEN   THE   CONSUMER? 

IT  WILL  be  time  and  money  well  spent  if  we  can 
succeed  in  educating  the  public  to  an  apprecia- 
tion of  the  economies  good  advertising  establishes 
and  maintains  in  the  products  and  distribution  of 
things  worth  buying. 

The  more  the  consumer  learns  about  what  adver- 
tising means  for  him  the  more  advertising  itself  will 
give  him.     The  sooner  the  mind  of  the 

Advertising  .  x   ut  i.    j    /      j. 

Makes  the  cousumer  accepts  as  an  established  fact 
Dollar     j-jjg^j.  whenever  he  sees  a  thing  advertised 

Larger  ...  .  . 

the  advertising  itself  insures  him  a  better 
value,  in  quality  or  quantity,  or  both,  the  sooner  he 
will  receive  a  greater  share  of  the  actual  benefits  of 
advertising. 

When  a  man  or  woman  appreciates  that  an  adver- 
tisement is  reducing  the  cost  of  distributing  goods 
that  are  in  every  way  desirable,  there  naturally 
will  follow  the  realization  that  this  reduction  of  the 
selling  cost  enlarges  the  purchasing  power  of  the 
dollar. 

The  best  way  to  illustrate  the  truth  of  the  above 
assertions  is  to  cite  everyday  things. 

293 


294  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

The  Iowa  hen  produces  more  wealth  each  year  than 
do  the  gold  mines  of  California.     Iowa's  egg  crop 
Th  I  w     ^^  worth  more  annually  than  all  the  oranges 
Hen  Is     raised  in  the  United  States.     But  there  is 
^   no  money  in  raising  chickens — as  a  busi- 
ness.    An    apparent   paradox!     As    a    "side   line" 
poultry  makes  $40,000,000  a  year  for  the  people  of 
Iowa. 

Labor-saving  machinery,  the  tests  of  the  chemical 
laboratory,  and  the  stop-watch  of  the  business  en- 
gineer have  enormously  increased  the  quantity  of 
production  without  adding  to  its  cost.  But  on  every 
hand  we  discover  appalling  waste  in  our  distributive 
system.  There  can  be  no  question  that  the  time  and 
energy  now  expended  upon  the  distribution  of  mer- 
chandise can  be  made  to  yield  the  consumer  much 
more  than  he  now  gets. 

Qj^j.  A  recent  merchandising  audit  revealed 

Wasi^ul    tlie  fact  that  one-haK  of  our  garden  truck 

Dtstnbu- 

live  goes  to  waste. 
System  ^  method  of  changing  this  waste  into 
saving  for  the  consumer  is  suggested  by  consideration 
of  the  canning  industry.  The  canner  buys  fruit  and 
vegetables  during  the  season  of  surplus  at  a  profitable 
price  to  producer  for  a  period  during  which  supply  is 
greatly  in  excess  of  the  demand.  He  cans  them,  pre- 
serves them,  makes  jellies  and  jams  of  them.  The  con- 
sumer buys  these  fruits  and  vegetables  in  the  winter, 
when  the  uncanned  article  is  either  almost  prohibitive 
in  cost  or  else  not  to  be  had  at  all,  but  he  buys  them  at 


HOW  MUCH  GIVEN  CONSUMER?      I  295 

- ^- 

a  price  based  on  the  cost  of  the  raw]  material  during 
times  of  plenty. 

It  has  also  been  found  that  it  often  costs  more'^to 

distribute  fresh  fruits  and  vegetables  than  to  get 

the  same  quality  of  them,  canned,  to  the 

Throiigk    consumer.     And  the  consumer  has  to  re- 

'IS^"^  member  always  that  he  is  the  man  who 

Consumer   pays  for  distribution. 

Gets  .  .  •' 

Luxuries  Scientific  merchandising  methods  have 
%^Necesd-  <leveloped  a  soap  which  is  so  good  that  it 
ties  cannot  be  made  better,  yet  it  is  deHvered 
to  the  consumer  for  only  five  cents  per  cake. 
All  our  big  manufacturing  plants  are  equipped  for 
turning  out  many  more  of  the  comforts  and  luxuries 
of  life  than  they  are  now  making.  The  added  operat- 
ing expense  would  disappear  in  the  newly  created 
volume  of  business. 

Many  manufacturers  would  be  glad  to  reduce  their 
prices  if  they  could  be  sure  of  getting  larger  volume 
by  doing  so.    Many  have  attempted  it. 
Scientific    Uulcss  they  had  first  developed  scientific 
^S:!:;-   merchandising  plans  the  price  reduction 
Benefits     often  simply  gave  their  merchandise  the 
Both       reputation  of  being  less  worthy  of  the  con- 
^^'avd^    sumer's  confidence.     The  most  successful 
Consumer   manufacturers  are  those  who  have  had  care- 
ful merchandising  audits  of  their  market 
possibilities  made,  and  from  them  have  evolved  plans 
of  distribution,  based  upon  definite  knowledge  of 
actual  conditions.     The  manufacturer  who  can  re- 


296  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

duce  his  price  to  the  consumer  and  still  have  the 
consumer  know  that  the  quality  of  his  product 
cannot  have  been  changed  is  in  the  strongest  possible 
position.  He  will  greatly  enlarge  his  market,  be- 
cause he  brings  what  he  has  to  sell  within  the  pur- 
chasing power  of  a  large  number  of  people.  But  if 
he  reduces  his  price  to  meet  competition,  neither  he 
nor  the  consumer  will  benefit.  Either  the  quality 
of  the  merchandise  or  of  the  service  which  gets  it  to 
the  consumer  must  be  impaired — if  the  original  price 
was  right. 

Fortunately  for  the  consumer,  the  heads  of  big 
business  are  realizing  that  the  surest  way  to  intrench 
the  business  which  they  have  labored  to 
When  Big  ^uild  up  and  develop  is  to  reduce  the  retail 
Business    price  of  their  product  and  the  cost  of  the 
pete       service  which  gets  it  to  the  final  buyer. 
^'n^Admrtis-  ^^^^^^  often  depend  upon  the  possible  sav- 
ing the     ing  in  the  cost  of  reaching  the  consuming 

Consumer 
Will  Be  Best  gTOUp. 

Served  fj^g  waste  in  our  present  system  of  dis- 

tribution is  the  measure  of  how  much  more 
he  is  now  getting  can  be  given  the  consumer  by  means 
of  scientific  advertising  and  distribution. 

My  father  tells  me  that  as  a  boy  he  read  every  book 
he  could  borrow  in  the  Iowa  county  in  which  he  lived. 
To-day  newspapers,  general  magazines,  technical  and 
class  periodicals  and  public  libraries  make  it  possible 
for  all  of  us  to  have  all  the  reading  matter  we  want 
of  every  kind.    What  publishers  have  done  and  are 


HOW  MUCH  GIVEN  CONSUMER?         297 

doing  for  us  other  manufacturers  will  do,  and  we  shall 
have  the  benefit.  Misapplied  energy  is  the  biggest 
single  waste  item  in  our  present  industrial  system. 
We  see  it  all  about  us — in  our  stores  especially,  and 
in  the  time  so  many  young  men  waste  in  getting 
started  upon  business  careers. 

The  cost  of  all  the  wastes  in  our  productive  and 
distributive  system  is  borne  by  the  consumer.  If 
the  greatest  waste  is  misdirected  energy  on  the  part 
of  the  everyday  worker  then  the  men  who  create  a 
market  for  regular,  steady,  well-paid  labor  are  in- 
creasing the  number  of  satisfactions  for  the  great 
mass  of  consumers.  The  manufacturers  who  develop 
demand  for  their  products  by  advertising  are  doing 
more  than  any  others  to  raise  the  standards  in  the 
labor  market. 

Through  advertising  our  big  manufacturers  are 

creating   their   own   groups   of   consumers.     These 

manufacturers   hold   their   supremacy   by 

Misapplied  giving  to  their  consumers  the  advantages 

the  Greatest  of  the  better  quality  or  lower  prices  which 

Economic  •!  i  i      ',i  i  j  j 

Waste  ^^^  possible  Only  with  an  enlarged  and  a 
stable  market.  Hence  in  buying  the  goods 
ojBFered  by  the  advertising  manufacturer  the  con- 
sumer is  always  acting  in  line  with  his  own  best  in- 
terests. He  is  adding  his  own  influence  to  the 
mighty  forces  which  are  creating  for  him  a  greater 
number  of  satisfactions  than  his  daily  earning  power 
could  otherwise  command. 

To  say  that  in  ten  years  the  masses  will  have  twice 


298  ADVERTISING— SELLING  THE  CONSUMER 

as  many  bathtubs,  books,  musical  instruments,  com- 
fortable sanitary  heating  systems,  sleeping  porches, 
jlelephones,  electric  lights,  and  labor-saving  kitchen 
devices  as  they  now  possess  is  to  speak  conservatively. 

Modern  advertising  is  certainly  increasing  the  num- 
ber of  luxuries  and  comforts  that  the  day  laborer  is 
j,^^       to  command.     By  reason  of  the  further 
Consumer's  progress  that  is  sure  to  be  made  in  scientific 
wSl  Double ''^^^^^^^   of   production   and   distribution 
^^TenTlt^  ^^e  laborer's  dollar  will  buy  twice  as  much 
ten  years  from  now  as  it  does  to-day.    He 
will  be  able  to  live  100  per  cent,  better  than  he  is 
living  now,  because  scientific  advertising  will  educate 
the  laborer  to  appreciate  better  things.     Scientific 
advertising  will  also  enable  the  manufacturer  to  dehver 
his  products  to  the  laboring  man  at  prices  he  can  afford 
to  pay  for  them. 

We  can  well  believe  this  when  we  consider  what  has 
been  done  in  the  past  decade  in  eliminating  waste 
in  production  and  distribution. 

Advertismg  cannot  benefit  the  advertiser  if  it  does 
not  serve  the  consumer.  - 

The  more  the  consumer  realizes  this  the  more  his 
dollar  will  buy  for  him  and  his  family. 

The  growth  of  this  conviction  is  so  widespread  that 
I  am  safe  in  affirming  that  the  consumer's  increasing 
confidence  in  and  intelligent  appreciation  of  good 
advertising  gives  to  the  progressive  manufacturer  his 
greatest  present  opportunity. 

THE  END 

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